More than two years after skeletal remains were found inside a train coal car in Berkeley County, the coroner’s office says it finally knows who the man was.
The Berkeley County Coroner’s Office identified him as Stephen Anthony Williams, 47. When he died, he was last known to be living in Georgia.
His remains were found on June 2, 2024, at the coal yard of Santee Cooper’s Cross Generating Station, near Lake Moultrie. Deputies and the coroner’s office went to the plant that afternoon after a 911 call.
For a long time, no one could put a name to him. Investigators tried autopsies, dental records, fingerprints, DNA and even a facial reconstruction artist. Last year, the coroner’s office held a private burial for him and another unidentified person, but kept biological samples in case new leads came up.
The breakthrough came through investigative genetic genealogy, which compares DNA with family trees to find relatives. Coroner Darnell Hartwell’s office said this was the first time it had used the method. It worked with Waypoint Investigative Genetic Genealogy and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department Forensic Science DNA Laboratory.
Williams’ family has been notified.
His cause and manner of death are still undetermined. The coroner’s office, the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office and Santee Cooper’s police are still investigating.
Source: ABC News 4, Live 5 News, The Post and Courier
