‘What happened to her?’ SC sheriff asks after missing woman’s body was found
The search for a missing South Carolina woman ended when her body was found Monday.
The death of Jessica Christine Alexander, who was publicly reported missing by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Saturday, is considered suspicious, according to a news release.
The missing 42-year-old’s body was discovered at about 10 a.m. in the area of Pinewood Road and Cody Road, the sheriff’s office said. That’s near Pinewood, in a rural area of Sumter County. Information about how the body was discovered was not available.
Alexander’s body was discovered in a ditch, Sumter County Coroner Robbie Baker said Thursday.
An autopsy performed at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston revealed there was no trauma, according to Baker. More test results are pending, and no cause of death was announced.
The sheriff’s office said Alexander’s death is being treated as suspicious pending those results.
Alexander had not been seen alive for days, according to the release. Family members last spoke to Alexander on the phone Oct. 15, while a friend was the last known person who saw Alexander on Oct. 14, the sheriff’s office said.
There was no word if Alexander was alone when she was last seen. The sheriff’s office did not say if foul play was suspected in Alexander’s disappearance.
“We had hoped we would find Ms. Alexander alive, but it was not to be,” Sheriff Anthony Dennis said in the release. “Our missing person investigation has come to a close, but now we must find out what happened to her.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 803-436-2000, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
In the case of an emergency, always call 911.
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This story was originally published October 19, 2025 at 11:59 AM with the headline "‘What happened to her?’ SC sheriff asks after missing woman’s body was found."
