Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Files Charges against Two Suspects in Ongoing Death Investigation

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office has formally filed charges against two suspects, a male and a female; in a continuing death investigation after a body was discovered yesterday at Wigington Pass.

40 year old Samantha Denise Larson and 59 year old Steven Cecil Wilson, both of Durham Brown Road, were booked into the Oconee County Detention Center last night on Temporary Custody Orders. Larson was booked in around 11:06pm Tuesday and Wilson was booked into around 3:37am this morning.

Larson has been charged with one count of Murder and Possession of Methamphetamine. Wilson has been charged with one count of Accessory after the Fact of a Felony and Possession of Methamphetamine.

Earlier yesterday afternoon around 12:34pm, deputies were notified to respond near the area of Wigington Road at Highway 107 and the Whitewater Falls overlook due to reports of a body that had been discovered. Emergency Services personnel were assisting with traffic control in relation to a disabled truck when the body was discovered near the roadway. The body, which was in a state of decomposition, was that of an adult male, identified by the Oconee County Coroner’s Office as 70 year old James Wayne Wilson of the Durham Brown Road address.

Investigators from the Criminal Investigations Division and the Coroner’s Office responded to the scene to gather evidence and begin an investigation. Based upon evidence gathered during the investigation, investigators executed a search warrant at the Durham Brown Road address, where the two arrestees and the deceased resided.

During the execution of the search warrant, investigators discovered a quantity of Methamphetamine inside of the residence.

According to the arrest warrant obtained by investigators, Larson, who is an acquaintance of the deceased and of Steven Wilson, caused the death of the deceased by beating James Wilson with a blunt object at the Durham Brown Road address. According to investigators, the body was moved from the location of the homicide to the location at Wigington Pass where the body was discovered yesterday.

Steven Wilson, who is the brother of the deceased, is accused in arrest warrants with providing aid and assistance to Larson, knowing a felony had been committed.

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation.