Body of missing 5-year-old girl found in South Carolina landfill

SUMTER, S.C. (WGHP) – The body of 5-year-old South Carolina girl Nevaeh Adams was found in a landfill, Sumter police said Tuesday, Oct. 22.

Adams and her mother were both killed over the summer.

Police said DNA testing confirmed the body found was Nevaeh.

More than 400 searchers from 40 different agencies had to sift through around four million pounds of material at the Waste Management-Richland County landfill after authorities decided to relaunch search efforts Sept. 17.

Police said landfill search experts with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified an area where human remains or other evidence in the case might be found.

Forensic experts examined what the search crews found.

“The local community and the state as a whole have been profoundly impacted by this case,” said Sumter Police Chief Russell Roark. “It is our hope that the recovery of Nevaeh will provide a sense of peace to her family, the community, and the hundreds of men and women who participated in this effort."

The search for Nevaeh began after police were called to Lantana Apartments in early August, where the body of her mother, Sharee Bradley, 29, was found inside her apartment by a family member.

The suspect, Daunte Johnson, 28, was seen fleeing the location. He was later located by police at a residence in a nearby neighborhood and taken into custody.

Police said when they interviewed Johnson, he admitted to killing Nevaeh and Bradley.