S.C. father, stepmother accused of fatally strangling son and hiding body in camper cabinet in 1989

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (TCD) — Detectives recently reviewed a 1989 cold case, which led to the arrest of a father and stepmother this week on suspicion of killing their 5-year-old son and hiding his body in a camper.

According to a news release from the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, on Friday, March 3, 1989, at approximately 11 a.m., 5-year-old Justin Turner headed out to a neighbor’s residence to ride the school bus. His stepmother, Megan Turner, formerly known as Pamela Turner, said she was taking a shower at the time.

When she went to meet her stepson at the bus stop after school, Turner reportedly said she learned he never got on the bus and didn’t show up to school. According to an arrest warrant obtained by WCSC-TV, Turner said she previously had an argument with the boy before he left, but she last saw him alive inside their home.

A neighbor reportedly told officials she went out with her grandson to catch the bus in the morning, but Justin Turner never showed up.

A two-day search for the boy ensued and ended on Sunday, March 5, 1989, when his father, Victor Turner, found the child’s body in a cabinet inside a camper on their property, the sheriff’s office said.

In an arrest warrant reviewed by WCSC, investigators stated the child’s father found his son “within seconds of entering the camper” and “moments after the search party began its search.”

Investigators learned the Turners were allegedly the only ones who had access to the camper.

Officials ruled the boy’s death a homicide. According to WCSC, court documents allege the child was strangled to death with a ligature in the early morning hours of March 3, 1989, and he had been placed inside the camper shortly after.

The victim’s stepmother reportedly “provided misinformation to investigators about her specific whereabouts on the morning of Friday, March 3, 1989, and provided inconsistent information about her activities.”

According to WCSC, investigators found a ligature in Megan Turner and Victor Turner’s home that matched the wounds found on the victim’s neck. The fibers on the ligature were also reportedly consistent with the child’s shirt material.

After learning about the evidence found at the scene, Victor Turner and Megan Turner allegedly “expressed concern and devised a plan to withhold/conceal potential evidence” and provided “spontaneous incriminating statements to indicate responsibility in the death.”

However, despite investigators’ efforts, the case went cold. It was reopened in April 2021, when investigators used new technology and submitted physical evidence from the scene to forensic pathologists.

As a result, detectives identified Megan Turner and Victor Turner as the primary suspects and arrested them at their home in Cross Hill, South Carolina, on Jan. 9. The suspects have been transported back to Berkeley County and remain held in the Hill-Finklea Detention Center. According to records, they each face a charge of murder.

Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis said in a statement, “We have dedicated detectives who are committed to reviewing and investigating criminal cases where factors have prevented a timely resolution of justice.”

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