Body found in donation bin identified as woman missing for months, SC officials say
A body that was recently found in a clothing donation bin was confirmed to be a Midlands woman who was reported missing months ago, the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday night.
After Wednesday’s autopsy, Kershaw County Coroner David West said 47-year-old Lugoff resident Lesley Lemoine was the person whose body was discovered Dec. 31 in a donation bin located near Camden West Inn at 850 U.S. 1 South in Lugoff, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
The sheriff’s office publicly reported Lemoine missing in June, and she had not been seen by her family since March 2022.
“Fly high mama. It’s confirmed, the search for her is over,” Hannah Gates, a woman who has identified herself as Lemoine’s daughter, said on Facebook. “Thank you for the prayers and support during these last 9 months.”
The sheriff’s office confirmed West notified Lemoine’s family after the results were determined.
On Monday, the sheriff’s office said it appeared the body had been inside the donation bin for months. Sheriff Lee Boan said the remains were “badly decomposed and mostly skeletal,” the Camden Chronicle-Independent reported.
The autopsy did not reveal Lemoine’s cause of death, and lab work is pending, according to the release.
There also was no word on a date of death, and the original location of the death, with Boan warning the public that getting answers to these questions “will not be a fast process.”
On Monday, Boan said the investigation is in very early stages. On Wednesday, he said it was considered “a suspicious death.”
“We will know more facts as the investigation moves forward,” Boan said. “We are NOT ruling out anything at this time.”
In addition to the sheriff’s office and coroner’s office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is assisting in the investigation.
Anyone with information about Lemoine’s death or disappearance are asked to call the sheriff’s office at 803-425-1512, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
“Please keep Lesley’s family in your thoughts and prayers,” the sheriff’s office said.
Information about a funeral service was not available.
Gates started an online fundraiser to help cover the costs of Lemoine’s funeral expenses.
“Lesley had no assets and the family (is) financially unprepared to take on a funeral this time, any and all donations are very appreciated,” the fundraiser says. “Lesley was a lively, free soul who could make anyone laugh and brighten any one’s day. ... please help us give her the service she deserves.”
Gates said if the fundraiser surpasses its $3,500 goal, any extra money would be set aside in a trust for Lemoine’s two children (Gates and a 10-year-old sibling) and two grandchildren as well as “to a charity surrounding addiction.”
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This story was originally published January 5, 2023 at 12:35 PM with the headline "Body found in donation bin identified as woman missing for months, SC officials say."
