Slain Barnwell woman had ‘the biggest heart,’ family says

BARNWELL, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - The family of Regina Arroyo is still searching for answers weeks after her body was found in the North Fork Edisto River in Lexington County.

Arroyo went missing on Dec. 1 and her body was found on Dec. 3.

She was an advocate for animal welfare and ran a transportation service that rescued animals from kill shelters.

“She really had the biggest heart,” said Mindy Chrysler, Regina’s daughter. “‘I love you always. I’ll see you later.’ That was always her thing.”

Regina had five children. Chrysler said Regina would always leave notes for them every time she would visit.

“Never thought that there would be this day where I wasn’t going to see her again,” said Chrysler.

The last time Chrysler texted her mom was on Thanksgiving. Around that time, Regina was doing a pet transportation. Shortly after, her family reported her missing.

“After the first day and there was still no sign of her, I knew that something horrible had happened and she wasn’t going to be coming home,” said Chrysler.

Chrysler’s instincts were right. At the beginning of December, authorities showed up at her doorstep to let her know her mom was dead.

“I don’t even what my first thought was,” said Chrysler. “I was crying and then I heard my daughter crying. I couldn’t process anything really.”

The fact that she’ll never hear her mom’s voice or have another phone call with her is what hurts the most.

“I just miss her saying that it’s gonna be ok because right now I don’t know if it’s gonna be ok,” said Chrysler.

The one thing that keeps her going is those small reminders from her mom.

“That’s always been her thing. You just can’t give up, you got to keep trying and it’s going to work,” said Chrysler.

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