Sheriff Recovers 4-Year-Old Javeayah Harris' Remains, Parents Face 2 New Desecration Charges
Updated
Updated · WRDW · Jul 9
Sheriff Recovers 4-Year-Old Javeayah Harris' Remains, Parents Face 2 New Desecration Charges
3 articles · Updated · WRDW · Jul 9
Summary
Aiken County deputies recovered some of 4-year-old Javeayah Harris' remains from Cedar Creek Reservoir, where Sheriff Marty Sawyer said her parents poured them after dissolving her body with chemicals.
DNA testing identified the remains as the biological child of Michilae Herring and Johmarea Harris, and investigators said corrosive chemicals and other tools were used in a deliberate effort to destroy evidence.
Herring and Harris were already jailed without bond on homicide by child abuse charges; they now also face destruction and desecration of human remains charges.
Sawyer said Javeayah likely died about a month before her mother reported her missing last week, and warned all of her remains may never be recovered because of the disposal method.
The case has drawn a strong local response, with about 100 people gathering at a memorial near the family home as investigators continue seeking photos, videos and documents tied to the girl's death.