South Carolina father and stepmother arrested in death of 5-year-old son in 1989 cold case, authorities say

By Emma Tucker and Raja Razek, CNN

(CNN) — Roughly 35 years after the body of a five-year-old boy was found near his family’s residence in South Carolina, the child’s father and stepmother have been arrested and charged in his killing, officials said.

Victor Lee Turner and Megan Lee Turner, who formerly went by the name Pamela, were arrested on Wednesday and charged in the death of Justin Lee Turner in 1989 after the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office in Moncks Corner reopened the cold case in 2021, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

The case was reviewed for the “possible application of new or unused technology” in April 2021, which led to the agency reevaluating physical evidence from the crime scene and autopsy, the sheriff said. The evidence was then submitted to forensic pathologists and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division forensic laboratory for analysis, the release said.

The investigation ultimately led to charges against the couple and their arrest at their residence in Cross Hill before they were transported to the Hill-Finklea Detention Center for holding, the sheriff’s office said.

CNN is working to identify and contact attorneys for Victor and Megan Turner for comment.

An affidavit provided to CNN by the sheriff’s office said the Turners falsely reported their son missing to the sheriff’s office on March 3, claiming he never got off the school bus. Witnesses, however, confirmed the child was never on the bus nor was he in attendance at school that day, their affidavits show.

Investigators believe the boy was killed in the late evening of March 2 or early morning of March 3, 1989, according to an affidavit.

Two days after he was reported missing, Justin’s body was found by detectives inside the couple’s truck camper on the family property near their home, according to affidavits.

“The specific location inside the camper where the body was concealed by the offender highly suggests familiarity with the camper and its floor plan,” the document said, noting only the couple had possessed keys to give them access to the vehicle.

Crime scene investigation, forensic analysis and autopsy results established Justin “died of asphyxiation due to strangulation by ligature a short time after consuming his last meal,” according to the affidavits.

The boy died “near the time he was last seen alive,” the affidavits say, citing the forensics pathologist report. The autopsy results also confirmed Justin died “a short time after consuming his last meal,” the affidavits said.

Ultimately, the investigation determined the Turners were the “last and only persons” to have seen their son alive and interact with him before his death, the documents said.

During the investigation, detectives determined Justin did not leave his family residence on his own accord and was “carried from the residence to the camper,” the documents show.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s forensic lab analysis determined the “proffered ligature” found inside the Turner residents has the physical characteristics capable of causing the strangulation wounds on the child’s neck, the affidavit said. Fiber evidence collected from the ligature, which is something used to bind, found it to be “physically and chemically” consistent with the material taken from the inside child’s shirt collar, according to the document.

The investigation determined the ligature recovered from the residence was “a likely weapon used to intentionally strangle and kill the victim,” the affidavit said.

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