‘Unusual smell’ leads to containers of human remains in man’s home, SC cops say

A missing persons investigation took a grisly turn when deputies entered a home and found a man surrounded by containers of human remains, according to investigators in South Carolina.

It happened Saturday, June 14, east of Lake City and investigators have yet to determine if the remains are related to the missing persons case, the Florence County Sheriff’s Office said in a June 16 news release.

“Relatives reported Christy Thomas Ward and Charles Edward Antwine missing from their Brunswick County, North Carolina, home last week,” the sheriff’s office reported.

“On June 14 ... a Florence County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputy checking the Lynches River boat landing at Riverside Cemetery (Road) spotted what appeared to be the roof of a mostly submerged vehicle some distance from the boat access point. Fire, EMS and South Carolina DNR responded to the scene and recovered the vehicle, which was unoccupied.”

Investigators traced the vehicle’s license plate to “an address on Stillwater Road near Lake City,” and discovered it was registered to Charles Edward Antwine, officials said.

Deputies visited the rural home and got no response to knocks, but suspicions were roused when they noticed “an unusual smell coming from the residence,” the sheriff’s office said.

“A search warrant for the residence was obtained, and upon entry, deputies encountered Antwine who was sitting on a couch. Investigators then discovered human remains in what are described as plastic containers which were taped shut,” officials said.

Antwine, 56, was arrested June 16 and charged with desecration of human remains, according to jail records. He is being held without bond at the Florence County Detention Center, jail records show.

The Lake City home is about a 110-mile drive west of Brunswick County, where Christy Thomas Ward was reported missing.

An autopsy was to be performed on the “dismembered body” and the results had not been revealed as of June 17.

“The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are possible,” the sheriff’s office said.

Lake City is about a 90-mile drive east from Columbia.

This story was originally published June 17, 2025 at 10:20 AM with the headline "‘Unusual smell’ leads to containers of human remains in man’s home, SC cops say."