Police in South Carolina are investigating the killing of David Hutchinson, a 32-year-old Massachusetts barber who vanished after traveling south for what his family said was a money-making opportunity, then was found dead and decomposing inside a rolling trash can outside an abandoned home.
Marion Police Chief Tony Flowers said the death is being handled as a homicide and that investigators are still working to determine who killed Hutchinson, where the fatal encounter occurred, and why his body ended up in a trash container that was moved to Pearl Street. A 41-year-old woman, Jaida Monique Braddy, has been arrested and charged as an accessory after the fact, while police say the case may involve more people.
Hutchinson’s disappearance began as a missing-person case spanning state lines. His relatives told authorities he left Massachusetts in December 2025 and traveled by bus to Marion, a small city near the North Carolina line. Family members said he planned to return home in the first week of January but never arrived. They said they last heard from him on Dec. 29, and after repeated attempts to reach him failed, they reported him missing on Jan. 12.
For weeks, relatives searched for answers as they tried to reconstruct his movements and figure out why communication abruptly stopped. They described him as a barber who took pride in his work and had a social personality that could make him quick to trust. The silence, they said, did not fit his normal pattern. As the days passed, family members expanded their search, contacting law enforcement and sharing information with people in Marion who might have seen him.
Investigators said the case took a grim turn on the afternoon of Jan. 29. Authorities said Hutchinson’s body was found inside a trash can on Pearl Street in Marion. Police and the county coroner said the remains were in a decomposing state, suggesting he had been dead for some time. Investigators said the trash can had been moved to the front of an abandoned home, and how and when it was moved became an early focus as detectives tried to track who handled it and why.
Flowers told local media that the department received more than one tip during January that helped steer the case. He said police received an earlier tip of a possible homicide in the area, but investigators initially struggled to make progress because they had no report of gunfire and few clear leads. Flowers said a later tip led detectives to the trash can where Hutchinson’s body was discovered. Police have not publicly identified who provided the tips or what details they contained.
Authorities have not released a cause of death, but Flowers said evidence indicates Hutchinson may have been shot earlier in January. He said there were no reports of gunshots in the area around the time investigators believe Hutchinson was shot. That can happen, investigators say in other cases, when shots are fired indoors, in isolated areas, or when witnesses are reluctant to call police. Police have not announced that a firearm has been recovered and have not said whether they found shell casings or other ballistic evidence.
Braddy was arrested in late January and charged with accessory after the fact to a felony or murder, according to police statements and jail records. Authorities have not accused her of killing Hutchinson. Flowers said investigators believe she played a role after Hutchinson’s death, and he said the accessory allegation is tied to how the body ended up where it was found. Braddy was reported held at the Marion County Detention Center on a $15,000 bond. Court records available publicly did not immediately show whether she had an attorney who could comment on her behalf.
Police have not ruled out additional suspects. Flowers said investigators are still determining how many people may have been involved and whether the key events happened inside a residence, outside, or somewhere else in the area. He described a property tied to the case as having frequent traffic, with people coming and going, which he said complicates efforts to pinpoint who was present at critical moments. Asked about the possible number of people involved, Flowers said it could be as many as 12 as detectives sort through names and roles.
While police have shared only limited investigative detail, Hutchinson’s family has offered its own account of what led him to South Carolina and what he experienced after arriving. In a public fundraising post, relatives said Hutchinson traveled to Marion after connecting online with a woman who described herself as an entrepreneur and suggested he could make money there. The family wrote that after he arrived, he quickly realized the situation was not what he expected and believed he had been set up and robbed.
The family said Hutchinson’s phone and money were taken and that he was left at a house where other people were present. They also wrote that his barber equipment was stolen and that a confrontation over the missing items turned violent, with a gun displayed, shortly before he vanished. Police have not confirmed that account in full, and investigators have not publicly described the woman Hutchinson met online or said whether she is connected to Braddy or other people under scrutiny. Authorities have also not said whether Hutchinson’s phone or other personal property has been recovered.
The setting of the discovery added to the case’s unease in Marion. The trash can was found outside an abandoned home on Pearl Street, a detail that quickly circulated locally and drew attention to a neighborhood that residents said had not shown obvious signs of a major incident. Investigators returned to the area as they worked to establish a timeline, and the abandoned property became a focal point for questions about who moved the container, how long it sat there, and whether anyone noticed odors or unusual activity before authorities arrived.
Detectives now face a string of questions that will shape any future charges. They must determine where Hutchinson died, who was with him, what led to the violence, and what motive could explain the killing. Investigators are also expected to examine digital communications that led Hutchinson to travel to Marion, including messages, calls, travel arrangements, and any payments or promises that were made. Cases involving online connections often require subpoenas and search warrants for account data and device records, along with interviews to confirm who was behind a name or profile.
An autopsy is expected to clarify how Hutchinson died and help narrow the window of time in which he was killed. Police have said those findings will be a major milestone because they can confirm whether he was shot, determine how long he had been dead before being found, and support or contradict witness statements. Authorities have not publicly said when the autopsy results will be available or whether additional testing is required.
For Hutchinson’s relatives, the discovery marked a shift from hope to grief and anger. Family members have said they want him remembered for his life rather than the manner of his death. They described him as a son, brother and friend who was proud of his trade and enjoyed making people feel welcome in his chair. They said he had goals and was looking for a way to improve his situation, which they believe made him vulnerable to promises of quick money and a fresh start.
Police have not announced further arrests or said whether investigators expect to upgrade charges against Braddy or file a murder charge against someone else. For now, officials said they are continuing interviews, reviewing tips, and sorting through people who may have been present at or connected to the property where Hutchinson was believed to be staying. Flowers has said the investigation remains active and that detectives are still working to identify who had direct involvement and who may have helped conceal what happened.
As the case moves forward, the next major step is expected to be the autopsy report and any additional charges that may follow from it. Until then, investigators say they are building a picture of Hutchinson’s final weeks in Marion, from his arrival in December to the last confirmed contact with family on Dec. 29, to the discovery of his body on Jan. 29. Police have said they will release more information when they can do so without compromising the investigation.
Author note: Last updated Feb. 9, 2026.