Polk man charged with concealing a death

COLUMBUS — Law enforcement has found what they believe to be the remains of a missing Landrum woman in Columbus.

The remains were found on Old Highway 19, just outside Columbus by law enforcement Friday night.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a missing person on Jan. 31 from the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, with the woman last seen on her way to Polk County.

Karen Denise Jenkins, who was 46 when she went missing in November 2017, lived on Oak Grove Road in Landrum.

After an extensive investigation involving dozens of interviews, Polk detectives learned that Jenkins was in a relationship with Polk County resident Jeremy Bradshaw, 34, of Winwood Drive, Columbus.

After finding the remains, Bradshaw was charged with concealing a death and obstruction of justice, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

Polk County requested the assistance of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and interviewed Bradshaw on Friday. Bradshaw led investigators to a family member’s home, located on Old Highway 19, where he said he placed Jenkins’ deceased body in an abandoned well in November 2017.

“After obtaining a search warrant for the property, investigators uncovered what are believed to be human remains buried in the well, just as Bradshaw had indicated,” stated a press release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

Capt. B.J. Bayne said investigators executed two search warrants Friday night, including at Bradshaw’s home as well as his family member’s, where the body was located.

Bayne also said since the report was made at the end of January, the sheriff’s office made the missing person case a top priority, and exhausted every resource and effort until she was found.

“If you go missing in Polk County, we will do everything we can to find you,” Bayne said.

Bradshaw was still being held in jail under a $50,000 bond as of Saturday morning.

The sheriff’s office said other charges are possible pending further investigation.

The body was sent for an autopsy to be positively identified and to determine the cause of death, the sheriff’s office said.

The SBI, the Tryon Police Department, the Town of Tryon and the North Carolina 29B District’s Attorney Office assisted Polk County in the investigation.