State agents have arrested a man in connection to the killing of a South Carolina woman nearly 44 years ago.
Agents from the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) arrested Charles Ugvine Coleman, 65, charging him with murder and rape. Coleman is from Union County.
According to SLED, on March 20, 1976, Elizabeth Ann Howell Wilson , 45, went missing while she was working as a spinner at the Eureka Plant of Spring Mills in Chester.
Her body was later found in a stolen vehicle in Fairfield County near the intersection of Ashford Ferry Road and Dave Jenkins Road in Blair. She had been sexually assaulted, strangled and beaten, according to the report.
SLED, the Chester County Sheriff's Office, and the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office continued to work on the case for years.
According to the release, 44 years after the death of Wilson, a forensics breakthrough was able to identify Coleman through DNA.
“Our Agents and forensics experts’ work hard and are dedicated to bringing justice to those who commit crimes against our citizens,” said SLED Chief Mark Keel. “Whether the crime was recent or happened more than 40 years ago, we will not stop in trying to solve the case. I appreciate the teamwork showed by everyone in helping bring closure to the Wilson family. ”
Coleman was booked at the Fairfield County Detention Center.
The case will be prosecuted by the 6th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
If anyone has information that can further assist in this investigation, please contact SLED at (803) 896-2605.
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