Human remains identified as missing Holly Hill woman

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - The Orangeburg County Coroner’s Office has confirmed the remains found in Holly Hill earlier this month are of a missing woman.

Melissa Aguilar was reported missing by her ex-boyfriend over the summer.

On Tuesday, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s office held a news conference to address concerns about remains being left in the Holly Hill woods.

Leroy Ravenell, Orangeburg County Sheriff, stated, “How those remains were left out there, I can’t answer that today. I’m not saying it was the responsibility of the coroner, I’m saying the coroner collected the remains that were there, so whose responsibility was it? I’ll let you take that from what I said, the coroner collected the remains that were there.”

Last week, family say they received a call from investigators indicating that remains were found by neighbors less than a half mile from the house.

Melissa’s sister says she filed a formal complaint against the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office. She says there was a lack of communication and transparency throughout the investigation.

Now, it’s up to the sheriff’s office to figure out how she died.

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