Suspect in killing of young mom with Beaufort ties was facing charges in 2 states
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Beaufort’s Sophia Van Dam murder
Jonas Jerry Washington Jr. is accused of killing Beaufort native Sophia Van Dam and kidnapping her son.
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Beaufort mom shows up at hearing wearing T-shirt with a message for daughter’s accused killer
Suspect in killing of young mom with Beaufort ties was facing charges in 2 states
After 2 years, Burton man charged with murder of missing mom, kidnapping of her son
FBI and other agencies searching for missing mom and son focuses on Burton property Friday
Where’s Sophia Van Dam and her son? Beaufort family can’t find them. It’s been 12 days
The suspect accused of killing Beaufort native Sophia Van Dam and kidnapping her 2-year-old son Matteo in Sumter has a rap sheet of violent crimes and was previously accused of assaulting her less than a year before the pair went missing two years ago.
Jonas Jerry Washington Jr., of Burton, is expected to make his first appearance before a judge Tuesday in Sumter County where he faces charges that accuse him of murder and kidnapping.
The young mother and son haven’t been seen since they drove home to the Sumter residence they shared with Washington after a visit to Sophia’s hometown of Beaufort in June 2023. From the beginning, the case has been shrouded in mystery, with authorities saying little about the investigation or their suspicions.
Then on Saturday, Sumter police confirmed that Washington had been booked into the Sumter County jail on charges of murder and kidnapping related to the case after being extradited from Georgia where he was serving an unrelated sentence. No bodies have been located and authorities continue to ask the public’s help with the investigation.
Washington’s Tuesday arraignment on the charges will come exactly two years to the day that Van Dam and Matteo last were heard from: June 24, 2023.
Here’s what is known about the case:
Sophia Van Dam was raised in Beaufort
The youngest of five children in her Beaufort family, Van Dam graduated from Battery Creek High School in 2020. She is the youngest of five children of Henry (Jim) and Theresa Van Dam, former Parris Island Marine drill instructors. Family members have described her as a bright, take charge person with a sense of humor who learned how to weld, earning a certificate in the trade.
Reported missing 2 years ago
Van Dam, 20 at the time, and 2-year-old Matteo, had lived in a Sumter rental for a few months with Washington. She was last seen by her family in Beaufort on July 21 and last heard from on June 24, 2023. At the time of her disappearance, she had recently returned to Sumter after visiting family in Beaufort. Her mother, Theresa, contacted Sumter police who found her vehicle at the Sumter residence but no signs of Sophia or Matteo.
Authorities say the murder charge against Washington relates to Van Dam, based on evidence found at the Sumter residence. The kidnapping charge relates to Matteo.
The suspect is serving time in 2 states
The 26-year-old Washington is from Burton, an unincorporated area near Beaufort. He was extradited from Georgia last week to face the South Carolina charges.
He is serving a five-year sentence in Georgia stemming from a 2020 first-degree burglary charge in Effingham County. Washington also is serving a 10-year prison sentence related to a 2021 Beaufort County, South Carolina case in which he and another man were convicted of armed robbery. The cases are being served concurrently.
Suspect was out on bond
Van Dam and Matteo were reported missing on June 28, 2023.
At the time, Washington was out of jail on a bond for the 2021 Beaufort County robbery charges that originally included possession of a weapon in the commission of a violent crime, kidnapping, larceny and burglary related to an carjacking and robbery on Shanklin Road in. He was under house arrest and allowed to attend work with his father but he could have no contact with the victims, according to Beaufort County court records. His 10-year sentence related to that case was handed down in March 2024.
Washington also had a warrant out for his arrest for failure to appear on the charges related to the 2020 Georgia burglary for which he later was convicted. The original charges in that case were possession of a firearm or knife during commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies; burglary in the first degree; attempting to elude a police officer; and drug-related offenses.
Suspect arrested -- but not in Van Dam case
On June 30, 2023, two days after Sophia and Matteo were reported missing, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office arrested Washington at his father’s home in Burton. But that arrest was unrelated to Van Dam’s disappearance, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office said at the time. Rather, the Sheriff’s Office had gone to the home of Washington’s father, Jonas Washington Sr., to assist Animal Control in an animal-related issue. But when deputies arrived, Washington Jr., who was there, fled in a vehicle with his sister, according to the Sheriff’s Office. A chase ensued. At some point, Washington jumped out of the car and ran to a house. A deputy saw that he had a firearm, the Sheriff’s office said. Washington was arrested on charges of fleeing to evade and the outstanding warrant for his arrest out of Effingham, Georgia.
It was the same property on Reerock Road that the FBI, Sumter police, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office would search on Friday, Sept. 1 in relation to the disappearance of Sophia and Matteo. Authorities have never disclosed what they were searching for and what, if anything, was found. At the time, an attorney for Washington Sr. said Mr. Washington did not have any idea why authorities were searching the property, which he noted had been searched a few weeks prior as well.
On July 4, Beaufort County transferred Washington, to Effingham County in Georgia.
The Sumter Police Department placed Washington in custody earlier this week in Georgia. He is being held at the county detention center.
Assault reported in October 2022
On Oct. 22, 2022, eight months before Van Dam and Matteo were reported missing, Washington allegedly assaulted Van Dam as they were driving down Interstate 95 between Columbia and Waltorboro, according to reports from Colleton County that the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet obtained through a Freedom of Information request.
When they stopped for gas at a convenience store in Walterboro, Van Dam escaped, driving away in the vehicle, records show. Washington, according to reports, tried to stop her, jumping on the car and grabbing the driver’s side door handle, ripping it off in the process. He then brandished a 9 mm Glock, told another customer to get out of the vehicle or “I will kill you” and drove off after Van Dam, the Sheriff’s Office reports say.
A clerk at the store who saw Van Dam and Washington pull up told authorities Van Dam looked afraid and wiped blood away from her face.
Van Dam told authorities at the time that Washington originally assaulted her in a hotel in Columbia. When she began to scream loudly, the reports say, Washington forced her into a vehicle and they drove to Walmart, where he continued to beat and choke her. They then traveled down Interstate 95, the report says, and the assault continued. When they neared the Colleton County line, they stopped for gas and Van Dam asked for a soda. When Washington went inside, she made a break for it, hopping in the driver’ seat and driving off.
Grand jury met months ago
While Washington is scheduled to be charged in court Tuesday, a Sumter County grand jury met months ago about the case. The function of a grand jury is to evaluate evidence presented by the prosecution to determine if an indictment should follow. The jury, meeting secretly in May, delivered “true bills” of indictment on the murder and kidnapping charges. South Carolina authorities have been working to have Washington extradited from Georgia to South Carolina since then.
If you information
Any information that could help in the investigation can be submitted to the Sumter Police Department by calling 803-436-2700. Tips can be given to Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC, online at P3tips.com or by using the P3tips app for Apple or Android devices. Tips can also be submitted to SLED at tips@sled.sc.gov.
This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 4:59 PM.
