Woman was found dead under bridge in 2009. Her cab driver was just arrested, SC cops say
A woman was found dead under a bridge in 2009 — and now her taxi driver is charged in her death, officials said.
Almost 13 years ago, a couple was searching for critters when they stumbled upon a body in a Greenville County creek, the Greenville News reported.
The deceased woman — identified as 24-year-old Allison Southerland-Craine — reportedly died of blunt-force injuries. Officials couldn’t determine her exact time of death and eventually ran low on leads, news outlets reported.
Now, 38-year-old Jeffery Ray Phillips has been arrested in the cold case. The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office in a Feb. 28 news release didn’t list attorney information for Phillips.
He’s accused of assaulting Southerland-Craine, leaving her with fatal injuries around Aug. 7, 2009. Deputies in a warrant said the incident happened along a creek off Lakeside Road, southwest of downtown Greenville.
“Investigators learned that Phillips was a frequent cab driver for Allison, and before her killing, she had expressed frustration that Phillips owed her money,” the sheriff’s office said this week. “Although the motive is still under investigation, investigators tied Phillips to the murder after locating cell phone records.”
Deputies said they obtained a warrant for murder and arrested Phillips, who was serving time for an unrelated homicide case in Sullivan County, Tennessee. He has been charged in the Greenville County death, WCYB and other news outlets reported.
The arrest marks the fifth time the sheriff’s office cold case unit has reported solving a crime since it started in August 2020.
“This is a prime example of the vision we had for the unit coming to life, to bring resolve and justice for the family and friends who have tragically lost their loved ones,” Sheriff Hobart Lewis said in a release. “It is hard enough to lose someone you love, but having unanswered questions and their case go cold elevates the level of difficulty.”
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately share additional information about the homicide case with McClatchy News on March 1.
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Woman was found dead under bridge in 2009. Her cab driver was just arrested, SC cops say."
