3 charged, 1 sought after remains found in Windsor
WINDSOR, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Two men are facing murder charges after human remains were found in Windsor — including one who was released on a $15,000 bond last week.
Thomas William Guinn, 30, of Windsor and Michael Dwayne Williams Jr., 35, of Aiken are facing murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime charges in connection to the death of John Thomas Belote, according to the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office.
Guinn was taken into custody around 2:41 p.m. Tuesday at 107 Groves Park Court.
A citizen’s tip led to his arrest, according to the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office.
Guinn will be taken to the Aiken County Detention Center. Williams is still being sought.
Guinn was previously granted a $15,000 bond at a hearing last week when he was first arrested July 18 on a lower charge. The charges were soon upgraded after the remains were identified as Belote’s.
After Belote’s remains were found in Windsor, three men were arrested and charged with destruction, desecration or removal of human remains, according to the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office.
The remains were found in a shallow grave near the 300 block of Wendy Lane around 2:27 p.m. Friday.
According to Aiken County Detention Center records, Guinn of the 3000 block of Stuckey Loop, Donald Britton, 51, and Cody Wooten, 37, both of the 100 block of Britton Road, all face charges in connection to the removal of human remains.
Before the identification, the family of John Thomas Belote, 39, feared they were his remains.
According to an arrest warrant, investigators believe Wooten, Guinn and Britton with the help of one other person removed the remains of an unidentified person.
It appears the other person in this situation is Williams.
The warrant states Wooten, Guinn and Britton moved the remains from an unmarked shallow grave at 916 Windsor Road to a similar grave at 379 Wendy Lane.
The first shallow grave is around two minutes away from Britton Road and the second location is around a 10-minute drive.
As the remains were being moved, they were torn into two pieces and treated in a “disrespectful manner,” according to authorities.
Belote’s family says he was last seen June 28 around the Windsor and Graniteville area.
According to the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, Cierra Belote, Belote’s daughter, reported him missing June 30.
According to her report, when she last spoke to her father, he told her he got into an argument with Britton. Belote allegedly told other friends and family he was either going to see his ex-girlfriend, Kelsey Ledford, or meet Ledford’s father, Britton, in Windsor.
Since that conversation, the family did not hear from Belote, according to the daughter.
Cierra says it’s always been a bumpy road for her father.
Britton was listed as a suspect on the missing person report. He was arrested July 12 on drug and gun-related charges.
The charge regarding the remains was added last Monday, according to inmate bookings. He remains in jail without bond.
Wooten was granted a $10,000 personal recognizance bond after being arrested. He was re-arrested on July 21 and charged with accessory after the fact for murder.
Accessory after the fact for murder was also added to Britton’s list of charges, according to inmate bookings.
The family told us it was infuriating to see that two men were able to get bond with these charges, especially one of them on a personal recognizance bond. They say it feels like a slap in the face.
If anyone has any information on Williams, the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office at 803-648-6811.
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