Authorities in South Carolina have arrested a man after finding the remains of a missing woman buried by a well last week.
Shamra Felkel, 49, was found dead in Hartsville, S.C., on Dec. 4, Darlington County Coroner J. Todd Hardee confirms.
Authorities arrested Daniel Peel on Monday, Dec. 9, in connection with her death and charged him with murder, the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
According to an October statement from the sheriff’s office, Felkel was last seen on Sept. 25 in the Hartsville area. She was reported missing by her family and friends on Oct. 7.
Hardee tells us Felkel’s remains were found buried beside an old, inoperable dry well. Her body had been placed in a “hollowed out” area beside the well, he says.
She had been buried there for quite some time, Hardee says, adding that her remains had been decomposed when they were found.
WBTW reports, citing arrest warrants, that Peel allegedly strangled Felkel following an argument.
In an online obituary, Felkel is being remembered for being “independent and sassy,” and for her love for the outdoors, animals and jewelry.
In a Facebook post, her daughter Karli Felkel wrote she is “living in a nightmare.”
“This has got to be the most traumatic thing me and my siblings have experienced and there are just some things people can not come back from,” she wrote, alongside a link to the obituary page for Shamra. “I will miss you for the rest of my life mom. I hope it is so beautiful up there.”
Peel has been charged with murder, kidnapping and obstruction of justice, per the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office. He is being held without bond, per WBTW.
It wasn’t immediately clear if he has entered pleas or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.
