Local News in South Carolina: A Woman’s Corpse Was Found in A Clothing Donation After It Was Reported Missing

The woman whose decomposing body was found in a clothing donation bin on New Year’s Eve has been positively recognized by authorities. On December 31, a resident claimed smelled something nasty coming from a metal bin at 850 Highway 1 between Lugoff Toyota and Camden West Inn and phoned the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division was analyzing the area as they would for a homicide investigation, Kershaw County Sheriff Lee Boan told WACH-TV on January 1. Unfortunately, it seems like the body has been there for a while. It was mostly skeleton and severely decayed.

In their initial statement, investigators could only say that they thought the remains were those of a lady. Following an autopsy last week, the remains of Lesley Lemoine, 47, were positively identified. According to an article poste by True Crime Daily on January 09, 2023, a tattoo on her calf helped in identifying.

Hannah Gates, Lemoine’s daughter, claimed in a WISTV report from January 6, 2023 that she hadn’t seen her father since March. Lemoine’s body will be toxicological tested, and some of her bones will be sent to an anthropology to see whether she underwent any trauma, according to Kershaw County Coroner David West.

Coroner West also added that authorities believe the victim’s body was simply abandoned in the area where it was discovered. It’s a landfill and not necessarily the spot where she passed away.

Gates is currently vying for full custody of Lemoine’s daughter, who is 10 years old.