SUMTER, S.C. — Sumter County investigators are looking into whether there is a potential connection between a missing Midlands woman and a suspected serial killer in Long Island.
“Miss Bean was last seen in Sumter County on May 31, 2017,” Mark Bordeaux with Sumter County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) says.
It’s a case that’s gone cold, but has remained open, Bordeaux explains.
“This case and all of our cases that are unresolved, particularly homicides and missing persons, are never closed until we come to a place of resolution that we find an answer to what has happened,” Bordeaux details.
Now, a recent tip has reignited the conversation about what might have happened with Bean.
“Miss Bean may have a connection with the serial killer in New York, Rex Heuermann,” Bordeaux shares. “It's still unclear, but there's enough hope that our investigators are doggedly pursuing an answer.”
Investigators say a third party tip came in from someone outside of Sumter County who said there might be a connection between the suspected serial killer accused of killing four women. SCSO is now checking whether Bean should be added to the list. SCSO says Bean’s daughter initially reported her missing back in 2017. In a recent interview, SCSO says she remembered something that might be key.
“Someone that may have been, appeared, may have looked like Mr. Heuermann was with her mother and a vehicle may have been similar,” Bordeaux explains. “But once again, you'll notice I'm using the word ‘may’ and ‘possibly.’ We're hoping to nail that down through further investigations going on as we speak.”
Bordeaux says investigators’ response has been “guarded excitement.”
“On the one hand, we can get well-meaning tips and suggestions and theories that may have no basis in fact, so our men and women have to guard their emotions and just proceed methodically in what they're doing,” Bordeaux explains. “So there's a lot of hope for all of these missing people, as well as the homicide cases that have been unsolved, that we’ll have an answer, but until we have the evidence, we must be guarded in how we react and respond…”
While Bordeaux tells me investigators are working through this tip to see if there might be a connection, they’re still asking anyone with information to come forward.
“Almost every case that's been unsolved, I believe that somebody knows something,” Bordeaux says. “And if they will pause and think of the difference they can make in an a family's life, the justice that they could bring, and that they could really be used to make a difference in society by just stepping up and saying what they know, can you imagine if everybody that had information on a case, even if they weren't sure it was relevant, would just contact the law enforcement officials?”
If you have any information that you think might be helpful in this case, you can report that anonymously to CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or online at P3Tips.com.
At this point, Bordeaux says it is “only a missing person case at this time.” In the “best case scenario,” he says investigators are hoping to find Miss Bean alive, “but any information that may be helpful is what we want.”