A woman who went missing in 2022 was found buried in the backyard of a Myrtle Beach home, and a suspect has been arrested and charged with murder, according to a statement from the city’s police department.
According to the statement, Penni Whiteside, 51, was last seen in the spring of 2022. Police found her body after receiving information that her remains may have been buried in the backyard under a fire pit, and on June 12 of this year, her remains were found in the yard after police obtained a search warrant for the property.
Sheridan Fogle, 54, was arrested and charged with murder on Thursday, Aug. 29, according to the police statement, which adds that the victim and the suspect had been living together.
In their statement, police called Whiteside’s death “a tragic loss of life and a senseless crime of violence,” and asked the community to “continue to pray for the family and friends of the victim.”
PEOPLE reached out to the Myrtle Beach Police Department who had no further comment on the ongoing investigation.
CBS News affiliate WBTW reported that Fogle is expected to appear in court for a bond hearing on the afternoon on Friday, Aug. 30.
A cause of death has yet to be revealed.
Neighbors of Whiteside’s were shocked by the allegations.
Nikolai Zaitsev told WMBF: “I mean, you have kids playing at the park here every day, And birthday parties, weddings, et cetera that happen here,” and added, “I’m sure nobody around here had a clue about what was actually going on.”
