WEDGEFIELD, S.C. — A welfare check on a partially paralyzed family member in Sumter County led to a disturbing find and a 24-year-old man's arrest.
The Sumter County Sheriff's Office said family members requested around midnight Friday that they perform a welfare check on a family member in the Wedgefield community. The sheriff's office said they found a home with no lights on, 24-year-old Nathanael Timothy Jackson standing on the porch, and the voice of the victim screaming for help inside.
Further investigation deputies to the story of the victim, who said they were left unable to leave the home and just trying to stay alive.
As deputies detained Jackson, family members found the victim bleeding with their hair cut off in the home. The victim said the suspect removed or destroyed the victim's walker, their cell phone, their medical alert device and anything else they could use to leave the home.
Jackson was arrested and charged with abuse of a vulnerable adult and kidnapping. Sheriff Anthony Dennis thanked the family for remaining in contact with the victim and speaking up when something seemed awry.
“This heartbreaking situation should remind all of us to check on our family members and neighbors who live alone or may be vulnerable," he said. "Our Community Watch Neighborhoods try to do this, and I hope everyone will check on their neighbors and call us if they are concerned.”