Inset left: Tiamo Drakeford (Sumter County Sheriff”s Office). Inset middle: Christine McAbee (Sumter County Sheriff’s Office). Inset right: Kristen Grissom (Sumter County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The location in Sumter County, South Carolina, where McAbee’s and Grissom’s bodies were reportedly found (WIS/YouTube).
A South Carolina man has been arrested in connection with a case of double murder where two women’s bodies were found “placed” in a clearing.
Tiamo Drakeford, 29, has been charged with murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and desecration of human remains, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said. The arrest came just about a month after Christine McAbee, 35, and Kristen Grissom, 38, were found dead.
On Aug. 8, at about 1:20 p.m., deputies arrived at Richbow Road in rural Sumter County. A landowner had come across the bodies and contacted authorities — saying the bodies “appeared to have been placed at the location,” the sheriff’s office added.
In other words, law enforcement believed the woman were murdered elsewhere and then dumped off Richbow Road — where their bodies stayed for at least a day.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
An autopsy revealed McAbee had died from a gunshot wound, but an autopsy for Grissom “did not reveal any physical trauma,” per local NBC affiliate WIS. Her cause of death was pending a toxicology report.
Authorities believe the women knew each other, but how exactly they knew one another is unclear.
Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis thanked all the agencies that helped secure Drakeford’s arrest — including the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms — in what he believed was a “targeted crime.”
“Every person from each of these agencies has worked tirelessly to assist my Office in solving this case,” Dennis said. “I have always found it refreshing to be a part of a true team effort to bring closure to our citizens and the families of victims. I am truly humbled and thankful for everyone’s tireless dedication.”
The sheriff also stated that Drakeford’s arrest does not indicate the end of the investigation and “more arrests are anticipated.”
Drakeford was being held in the Sumter County Detention Center as of Friday.
