GAFFNEY, S.C. – A South Carolina man has been taken into custody after a body was found stuffed in a barrel and found floating on an upstate lake in Cherokee County, according to officials.
Law enforcement authorities in Cherokee County arrested Eric Shawn Fetzer, 25, for destruction, desecration or removal of human remains. The apprehension occurred after officials in Cherokee County and Spartanburg County collaborated in the investigation with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, according to FOX Carolina.
The homicide investigation began Thursday at Lake Thicketty in rural Gaffney. The deceased man was identified as 56-year-old Jeffrey Sutphin, according to the Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office.
Cherokee County Sheriff Steve Mueller said authorities found the remains after pulling the partially submerged barrel ashore and prying it open. Sutphin had been reported missing June 15, the sheriff’s office said.
“Deputies found the barrel near the shore and upon opening it found human remains,” said Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler. “It appears the body had been in the container for a number of days.”
Foul play is suspected, according to investigators, but further details were not immediately disclosed. However, deputies said they expect to make additional arrests soon.
Law enforcement personnel discovered a body in a barrel floating on Lake Thicketty in Gaffney, S.C. (Google Maps)
“We’ve still got about four investigators out working, as we speak, running down some leads and some information on this case. It’s developing fairly well,” Mueller said. “It’s part of an ongoing investigation that led us to that area to search and look for human remains.”
Once interviews occurred, the Cherokee County Coroner’s Office determined the man died in Spartanburg County, Fox News reported.
As a result, the case was transferred to the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office and Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office.
