SUMTER, S.C. — A friend of a Sumter mother who was found dead last week is speaking out about how she perceived the relationship to be between the mother and her accused killer.
Sharee Bradley was found dead in her apartment last week. Her daughter, Neveah Adams, is still missing, but officers say they believe she is likely dead.
Tanishia Toney said she was friends with Bradley for more than six years. It was around 2015 when she learned about Daunte Johnson -- a man her friend loved and, according to police, one who would later confess to her friend's murder.
“When she was talkin’ about him she said, you know, he help her with the kids and he was there for her when she had a job. I was like, oh, okay, well as long as you trust him, that’s alright with me," Toney said.
They were together for more than a year before Toney says she started to notice concerning behavior.
"He took her phone from her and he answered it. I was like, ‘hello, where is Sharee?’ and he was like ‘oh, anything you can say to her, you can say it to me 'cause this is our phone,' she said.
The two continued in an on and off relationship for months.
"I see her being more protective of the situation, like being mindful of what she tell me," Toney said. "She told me he was verbally abusive.... I've never seen bruises, but I always know what she told me.... She trusted that he would have changed, and I've told her several times, just Google him, you know? Google him and find out what's what."
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Johnson has been charged with murder.
Sumter Police Chief Russell Roark told reporters last week that he believes the motive behind Bradley's death is "domestic related."
“I really feel like she loved him, she trusted him and she put her guard down and he just manipulated her," Toney said.