by A 5-year-old girl missing since Thanksgiving, when her mother’s body was discovered at her South Carolina residence, was found safe Friday, authorities said.
The fate of 5-year-old Aspen Jeter was especially troubling because she is unable to speak and has difficulty moving on her own: she lives with a rare medical condition known as neurodevelopmental disorder with or without autistic features and/or structural brain abnormalities, her the family said.
“Aspen is doing well and doing well,” Orangeburg County, South Carolina, Sheriff Leroy Ravenell announced at a news conference Friday. “Thank God for that.”
His mother, Crystal Jumper, was found fatally shot, her body lying on a bed, shortly after noon on Thanksgiving Day after sheriff’s deputies conducted a welfare check at her residence in Orangeburg, Carolina. South, authorities said.
Her brother, Pauley Jumper, told NBC affiliate WIS of Columbia that he had not heard from his sister since Nov. 1.
Authorities soon learned that both Aspen and her father, Antar Jeter, were missing. They launched a search and publicized the girl’s plight, distributing photos of the girl.
A cousin of Crystal Jumper said the father and child lived at the residence where the mother was found, according to WIS. The father was there temporarily because power was out at his residence, the cousin said, according to the station.
It is unclear if the girl was present as her mother’s body was not discovered for days, if not weeks.
On Thursday night, electronic financial transactions, such as purchases or ATM withdrawals, helped authorities locate 46-year-old Antar Jeter, who was in the Danville, Virginia, area, Ravenell said.
The transaction information was delayed, the sheriff said, but Danville police, with assistance from the US Marshals Service, were able to conduct surveillance, locate, identify and arrest Antar Jeter while they took custody of the girl, the department said. of Danville in a statement.
The sheriff said the two were found in a hospital parking lot in Danville. It’s not clear why they were there, he said.
Authorities allege the 2015 Mazda 6 Antar Jeter was driving was stolen. And on Friday morning, prior to the arrest, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office obtained a murder warrant in the name of Antar Jeter in connection with the death of Crystal Jumper.
Danville police said in a statement that the father is being held for allegedly being a fugitive from justice. Extradition to South Carolina was expected.
It was not clear if Antar Jeter has retained legal counsel. The Orangeburg County public defender’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ravenell did not say whether detectives have discovered a motive in the alleged murder. She said investigators aren’t exactly sure when she was killed.
“Sometime before Thanksgiving,” the sheriff said. “I’m not sure of the exact day.”
Justin Bamberg, an attorney retained by Crystal Jumper’s family, expressed his relief and gratitude during Friday’s press conference.
“We can’t thank you enough,” he said, pointing to the sheriff, his troops and other authorities who tracked down the boy. “It’s a joyful moment, but it’s also a sad moment.”
Bamberg said Aspen probably doesn’t fully understand what’s been going on in her life. When asked about her fate, she said the family’s goal is to keep her in the hands of relatives in South Carolina and away from Child Protective Services.
“Aspen will not become a ward of the state,” the attorney said. “We’re going to make sure he’s with the family.”
