Javeayah Kemauni Harris

September 25, 2023

• Eviction Case Filed: Magnolia Rental Property Management filed an eviction action against Johmarea Harris in South Carolina Magistrate Court.

November 1, 2023

• The eviction case involving Johmarea Harris was resolved and court records list the disposition as “Settled.”

November 30, 2025

• Prior Domestic Disturbance: Officers with the Clinton Police Department responded to a verbal domestic dispute at the family’s former apartment involving Johmarea Harris and Michilae Herring. Source
• According to the incident report, Herring told officers Johmarea was gathering his belongings to move out of the apartment.
• Herring said she did not want Johmarea’s mother and sister coming to the residence to pick him up because she believed a restraining order prevented them from being near her.
• Johmarea told officers the couple had been arguing since the previous day and that the disagreement on November 30 began over moving a table inside the apartment.
• He stated Herring called police while he was packing his belongings, before a friend had arrived to pick him up.
• According to officers, Herring later said she had calmed down and offered to drive Johmarea, but he declined.
• Both agreed to remain separated inside the residence while waiting for Johmarea’s ride.
• Officers documented no visible injuries, made no arrests, and classified the incident as non-criminal.

December 3, 2025

• Eviction Case Filed: The Union Housing Authority filed an eviction action against Michilae Herring in Union County Magistrate Court: 1111 Lakeside Dr Apt 51f, Union, SC, 29379

January 6, 2026

• The Union Housing Authority eviction case against Michilae Herring concluded with a writ of ejectment. Court records list the disposition as “Find for Plaintiff.”

March 16, 2026

• 5:56 p.m. Domestic Disturbance: Aiken County deputies responded to 39 Hillsboro Street at approximately 5:56 p.m. after receiving a report of a domestic dispute involving Michilae Herring and Johmarea Harris. Source
• Deputies met with Michilae Herring in the front yard while Johmarea Harris approached the porch during the investigation.
• Herring told deputies the couple had been involved in a verbal argument after arriving home.
• According to the report, Harris wanted to leave in Herring’s vehicle, but she refused because he did not have a valid driver’s license.
• Herring told deputies Harris placed his hands on her legs while attempting to remove her from the driver’s seat so he could take the vehicle.
• Herring advised Harris she was calling law enforcement. She told deputies she did not wish to pursue criminal charges and only wanted Harris to leave the residence.
• Harris told deputies the argument began over a “hotdog.” He stated he wanted to leave the residence but had no transportation because he did not have a driver’s license.
• Both parties agreed to remain civil while Herring transported Harris to a family member’s residence.
• Deputies documented that body-worn cameras were activated. The report concluded with “Nothing further.”

May 1 to June 15, 2026

• According to arrest warrant affidavits, investigators allege Javeayah Harris suffered injuries caused by physical abuse and was not provided medical care despite her condition. Source
• Investigators allege the abuse occurred at the family’s residence on Hillsboro Street in Aiken.
• Authorities allege the fatal abuse occurred sometime during this period.
• Investigators later stated that evidence supports that Javeayah Harris had already been deceased for at least one month before the June 30 emergency call.

June 30, 2026

• 8:00 p.m. According to her mother, Michilae Herring, Javeayah was outside near the family’s chicken coop, playing with the chickens. Source
  • She was reportedly wearing pink Minnie Mouse pajamas, Crocs, and pink beads in her braided hair.
• 8:15 p.m. Investigators identify this as the last known time Javeayah was seen near Hillsboro Street and Ridgecrest Road in Aiken County, South Carolina. Source
• 8:43 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Javeayah is reported missing. 911 Call

Emergency, 39 Hillsborough Street. I can’t find my baby.

Yes, ma’am.

She was outside playing and I came out here after cooking dinner a little bit, and I’m looking for her, but I don’t see her nowhere.

How old is this baby?

She’s 4.

All right, what was she wearing?

She has little pink Minnie Mouse pajamas. And she had me in pink beads, she had braids …

OK, how long ago did you see her, ma’am? What was the last time you saw her?

I just came up here like no less than 20 or 30 minutes. I went in the house to cook dinner, and that’s really hard. It’s time to come in once it starts getting dark. And when I came out here, I just.

OK, just just take a breath for me, OK? I already have them on the way to you, OK. Do you know where she might be heading? OK, you have any family or friends that live around the area?

No, but she usually try to take our taking big cats for me and I just I’ve been looking through the woods and try to see if I see her, but I don’t I don’t see her nowhere.

What’s your name? My name is Michilae.

What’s her name? Harris. Harris. I couldn’t hear the first name.

I wasn’t out here. I’m 39 weeks pregnant. I can’t keep up with her like that.

OK? And what anybody else out there with her like that was out there with her? Any friends, kids playing with her?

The way our yard is set up is nothing …

Does she have any health issues, any mental issues, anything like that?

She was attending but she’s just now trying to force but they don’t have no diagnosis all the way.

OK.

She’s very smart, though she don’t seem on that. She talk, Yeah, yeah, she could carry a full conversation.

OK, You didn’t see any vehicles before you went inside or anything like that?

I came out here together and I can’t even find this OK. There are certain place she likes to play outside usually. The chicken coop, and that’s usually where I find out everything and I just look in here and see she’s not in here.

OK. Is there any bodies of water nearby?

Ohh, I don’t know, ma’am. Me and my husband just now purchasing this house. I don’t know about this area much, but it’s it’s not a good area. I’ll tell you that. It’s not good.

OK, you said you searched the woods. Is that behind your house? Yes, it’s it’s like a pathway right behind my house. And we, we usually take the dogs sometimes in the woods to just let them run and she’ll come. So I know she knows. That’s all it did. Ohh, down the same way that we won’t, you know, I don’t see her. …

Have you checked with neighbors to see if they have seen her?

No ma’am, I’m literally like I called you like 10 minutes after I stepped outside. The cops are pulling up right now.

Alright, go ahead and talk to them, OK?

• 8:45 p.m. Deputies respond and begin searching the property and surrounding area.
• 9:00 p.m. Javeayah’s father, Johmarea Harris, returns home. Source
  • He later says he had been at a laundromat and a convenience store.
  • He states he noticed police activity before realizing it was connected to his home.
• 10:20 p.m. The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office reports a large law enforcement presence on Hillsboro Street and Ridgecrest Road. Source
  • Deputies state they are searching for a missing 4-year-old mixed-race female. She was last seen wearing pink Minnie Mouse pajamas, Crocs, and pink hair braids.

July 1, 2026, Search Continues Source

• 1:24 p.m. FBI Joins Search: FBI Columbia is assisting the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office in the search for missing 4-year-old Javeayah Harris. She was last seen on June 30, 2026, around 8:43 p.m. near the intersection of Hillsboro Street and Ridgecrest Road. Call 911 if you see her. The search continues with multiple law enforcement and emergency response agencies. Source
  • Authorities use road blockades, drones, ground searches, and neighborhood canvasses.
• 4:13 p.m. The ongoing search for 4-year-old Javeayah Harris is leaving no place unchecked. Law enforcement and professionally trained searchers are working non-stop to find Javeayah. Source
  • Law enforcement agencies are using every resource available to find this little girl. They are searching on the ground, using helicopters and drones to search by air, canvassing the neighborhood, conducting interviews, and collecting available surveillance videos. If you see Javeayah, call 911 or call the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office at 803-502-5200 if you have information that could help locate her. Source
  • Federal assistance includes investigative support, canvassing, interviews, video collection, and analytical assistance.

Description Released Source

• Age: 4 years old.
• Height: Approximately 3 feet 6 inches.
• Weight: Approximately 40 to 42 pounds.
• Hair: Pink braided hair.
• Clothing: Pink Minnie Mouse pajamas and Crocs.

July 2, 2026

• 4:00 p.m. Sheriff Marty Sawyer provides an update. Sheriff Marty Sawyer says authorities are not giving up.
  • More than 200 personnel are involved in the search.
  • The FBI provides analytical assistance.
  • Authorities continue asking residents to check sheds, crawl spaces, vehicles, outbuildings, and any area where a small child could hide.
• Amber Alert Clarification
  • Officials explain that an Amber Alert was not issued because the statutory criteria had not been met.
  • Authorities also clarify that an earlier reference to an abduction was not an official determination.

Search Map

July 3, 2026

• Search Expands: Authorities report thousands of acres have been searched. Source
  • Search efforts include helicopters, drones, roadblocks, interviews, and continued vehicle stops.
  • Bethel Baptist Church serves as a command post for the operation.
• Father Speaks Publicly: Johmarea Harris tells News 12 that Javeayah did not normally run away. Source
  • He says he had reported concerns about people “snooping around” the home.
  • He says, “Not knowing is killing me.”
  • He also says Javeayah’s mother gave birth the same night Javeayah was reported missing.
• 10:45 a.m. Bethel Baptist Church served as a command post throughout the search. On Friday morning, investigators gathered and prayed outside the church before search efforts resumed around 10:45 a.m.
• 1:24 p.m. FBI Columbia is assisting the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office in the search for missing 4-year-old Javeayah Harris. Source
  • She was last seen on June 30, 2026, around 8:43 p.m. near the intersection of Hillsboro Street and Ridgecrest Road. Call 911 if you see her. Source
• 3:28 p.m. Update from FBI: The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and more than a dozen law enforcement partners continue our search to find 4-year-old Javeayah Harris and bring her home. Source
  • Azalea Outdoor donated space on digital billboards across the CSRA to assist in this investigation. Call 911 or the tipline at 803-502-5200 if you have information to help find Javeayah. Source
• 6:03 p.m. Aiken, SC update: The search for 4-year-old Javeayah Harris continues. Since the moment Javeayah was reported missing, the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office has organized an extensive and coordinated search effort, with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies surging resources. In missing persons investigations, the first several days involve ground and air searches, a neighborhood canvass, roadblocks, and many other tools and techniques. The search covered more than 5000 acres. Authorities stated they had not located Javeayah and had conducted numerous interviews, including with her family. Source
• The sheriff’s office said work would become less visible to the public. Organized search activities would be reduced, mobile command operations scaled down, and roadblocks removed. Officials said the search would continue until Javeayah was found.
• 7:00 p.m. Search Activity To Become Less Visible
  • The sheriff’s office announces that organized public search activities will be reduced. Source
  • Officials state the search for Javeayah will continue.
  • Roadblocks end around 7:00 p.m. Friday.

July 4, 2026

• 10:45 a.m. Johmarea Harris and Michilae Herring Arrested Source
  • Johmarea Harris was booked into the Aiken County Detention Center on one count of Murder / Homicide by Child Abuse.
  • Michilae Herring was booked into the Aiken County Detention Center on one count of Murder / Homicide by Child Abuse and one count of Filing a False Police Report of a Felony.
  • Both bookings list Case No. 26-036790 and $0.00 bond pending a circuit court bond hearing.
• Morning, Investigation Reclassified as Homicide
  • Aiken County Sheriff Marty Sawyer announced that investigators now believe 4-year-old Javeayah Harris died at least one month before she was reported missing.
  • Authorities confirmed the missing child investigation had become a homicide investigation.
  • Sheriff Sawyer called the outcome “the one we all feared.”
• Timeline Revised
  • Investigators announced their evidence indicates Javeayah did not disappear on June 30, 2026, as initially reported.
  • She had likely been deceased for at least one month before the June 30 911 call.

“Sadly, the night of the 911 call on June 30, when that call was made, it was already too late to save Javeayah. At this time, our investigation supports that she had been deceased for at least a month.”

• 11:30 a.m. Press Conference: The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office holds a press conference with a major update in the investigation.
  • Sheriff Marty Sawyer announces investigators believe evidence indicates Javeayah is deceased.
  • Investigators say they believe she had been deceased for about one month before she was reported missing.
• Parents Arrested
  • Authorities announce that Javeayah’s parents have been arrested in connection with her death.
  • The parents are identified as Johmarea Harris and Michilae Herring.
  • Johmarea Harris is charged with homicide by child abuse.
  • Michilae Herring is charged with homicide by child abuse and filing a false police report.
  • Additional charges may be forthcoming.
• Search for Javeayah’s Body: Investigators say they are searching for Javeayah’s body outside Aiken County.
  • The exact search location is not publicly disclosed to protect the investigation.
• FBI Statement: The FBI confirmed it assisted throughout the investigation with neighborhood canvasses, interviews, digital evidence review, behavioral analysis, and child abduction response resources.
• 12:24 p.m. FBI Columbia Update: The FBI posted that the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office had announced Javeayah Harris is believed to be deceased and that Javeayah’s parents, Johmarea Harris and Michilae Herring, had been arrested in connection. Source

“We’re all focused on pursuing justice for Javeayah, because that’s what she deserves.”

July 5, 2026 Bond Hearing

• 10:30 a.m. Michilae Herring appeared for a bond hearing and was held without bond.
  • Judge Ronald Thornton said he did not have the authority to set bond based on the severity of the charge.
  • Herring requested assistance from a public defender, but the judge ruled that her income was too high to qualify for a court-appointed attorney.

Herring asked for a public defender. She told the judge she works at Transcom, earning $1,300 biweekly. The judge said her income was too high for court-appointed legal help. When asked if anyone else lived with her, she said, “the father,” who works at DHL.

• 1:30 p.m. Johmarea Harris appeared for a bond hearing and was held without bond.

Magistrate Judge Thornton found Johmarea Harris was not qualified for a court-appointed attorney. When asked about employment, Johmarea said he works for DHL Bridgestone and did not know how much he brings in weekly. When asked about others in his household, Johmarea said “my girlfriend” and then, in a softer tone, “my child.”

Probable Cause Affidavit Filed Source

• Investigators alleged that Michilae Herring, the mother of four-year-old Javeayah Harris, caused Javeayah’s death while committing child abuse or neglect. Source
  • The affidavit states Javeayah was under the age of eleven and that her death occurred under circumstances demonstrating an extreme indifference to human life.
  • Investigators allege Javeayah was denied medical treatment after it was known she had suffered injuries resulting from physical abuse.
  • The affidavit states that the allegations are supported by Michilae Herring’s confession and a co-defendant’s confession.
  • According to investigators, the offenses occurred at the family’s residence on Hillsboro Street in Aiken, South Carolina.
• The probable cause affidavit alleges the abuse occurred between May 1, 2026, and June 15, 2026. Source
  • The affidavit cites a violation of South Carolina Code § 16-3-85, homicide by child abuse.
• Bond Hearings and First Appearance: Because Thornton is a magistrate judge, he does not have the authority to set bond on a homicide charge. Bond must be heard by the circuit court.
  • Bond for the homicide charges will be transferred to a circuit court judge.
  • The circuit court judge is expected to hear the bond within 30 days.
  • Both parents will remain in custody during that period.
  • Their first court appearance is scheduled for September 18 and September 19 at 9:00 a.m.
  • Herring’s first court appearance was set for September 18, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.

July 6, 2026

• Search Area Identified Near Fairfield-Chester County Line: WRDW reporter Meredith Anderson reported from a rural search location near the Fairfield-Chester County line in South Carolina. She stated this is likely the area investigators believe Javeayah Harris’ body may be located. Source
  • The Debutary Creek access road was blocked off, with access restricted to law enforcement only.
  • The search area was described as remote, with no cell service available in the immediate area.
  • Law enforcement from multiple agencies was seen coming and going in and out of the search area.
  • The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources had a large presence, with vehicles towing boats and ATVs on trailers.
  • Weather affected the search, with rain and storms at times potentially grounding drone operations.
  • The creek feeds Rocky Creek Lake, also locally known as “Stumpy Pond,” an 847-acre reservoir on the Catawba River in Fairfield County.
  • The area is known for submerged tree stumps and woody structures, which may complicate water search efforts.
  • Access to the nearby hydro station was not blocked off, and no search activity was observed there, suggesting the active search was concentrated at the Debutary Creek access point.

July 7, 2026

• 5:00 p.m. Deputies returned to the family’s residence on Hillsboro Street in Aiken and established a crime scene perimeter with crime scene tape. Investigators searched the wooded area behind the home and later entered the residence. Source  
  • Deputies have reportedly been seen carrying evidence bags into the home, entering the woods, and, most recently, taking a shovel into the search area.
  • Evidence Processing: Crime scene investigators were observed sifting soil using forensic sifters. Yellow evidence markers were placed throughout portions of the property as evidence was documented.
• 6:20 p.m. Investigators appeared to recover a dark-colored, deteriorated piece of cloth. They also appeared to recover what looked like a shoe.
• 6:40 p.m. A deputy placed a black tarp around a tire swing on the property. Crime scene personnel photographed the area before continuing their investigation.
• 6:55 p.m. A deputy was seen entering the residence carrying additional yellow evidence markers. Investigators also removed a large object wrapped in a blue tarp that appeared to resemble a table or chair with wooden legs.
• 8:40 p.m. Investigators gathered together at the scene for several minutes before returning inside the residence to continue processing evidence.
• 9:15 p.m. Investigators removed the crime scene tape, cleared the residence, and left with multiple evidence bags collected during the search.

July 8, 2026

• Multi-agency dive teams and canine units combed through the Debutary Creek public access point at Rocky Creek Lake (Stumpy Pond).
• Investigators and the Coroner’s Office also returned to the family home to gather physical evidence.

July 9, 2026

• 10:30 a.m Aiken County Sheriff’s Office to hold press conference Source

Press conference will be held at the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office located at 420 Hampton Ave, N.E., Aiken, SC 29801. There is plenty of parking in front of our headquarters. We will not be taking any questions or sending out any updates prior to the scheduled press conference. Sheriff Sawyer will take a few questions from the media at the conclusion of his statement.”

• 10:39 a.m Sheriff Office announced they found a partial remain of Javeayah Harris.
  • Investigators allege chemicals were used, and that her remains were ‘poured’ into a reservoir.
  • Additional charges of destriction and desecration of human remains are being filed against the parents. Sheriff Sawyer said, “I will not refer to them as mom and dad or mother and father. They don’t deserve that title.”
• 7:30 p.m. Candlelight Vigil scheduled to begin to remember 4-year-old Javeayah Harris. Location: 210 Shiloh Heights Road, Aiken, SC Source

July 25, 2026

• 11:00 a.m to 1:00 p.m. A bicycle giveaway for children is planned in honor of Javeayah Harris. Apply at https://form.jotform.com/261867453690165.
  
  • The giveaway will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 25 at 2463 Golden Camp Road in Augusta.