Days after a man was reported missing, his body was discovered and another man was charged with murder, the Columbia Police Department said.
Now police are asking for the public’s help finding another man who also disappeared from the same Columbia halfway house where the victim was a resident.
On July 4, 35-year-old Deshea Butler was reported missing from a halfway house at 2214 Harper St., police said in a news release. That’s in the area between Two Notch Road and C.A. Johnson High School.
On July 6, Butler’s body was found in the 2200 block of Harper Street, according to the release.
On Sunday, 25-year-old Marc-Anthony Rickson Cantrell was locked up in the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and charged with murder, police said. Cantrell is also being held on a probation violation charge issued by Richland County, jail records show.
No bond has been set for Cantrell on the murder charge, according to jail records. Following a bond hearing, the Columbia resident is scheduled to appear in court again on Sept. 28, Richland County judicial records show.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not released Butler’s cause of death.
Police have not said how they connected Cantrell to Butler, and said that a motive for the death remains under investigation.
Police said they are also still searching for 22-year-old Jared Ondrea, who was also reported missing from the halfway house.
On March 23, Ondrea’s family reported him missing from the Harper Street residence, and police said they began searching for him on March 27.
Ondrea, who has a medical condition, is said to enjoy taking pictures around Columbia, according to police. Further information on his condition, or if Ondrea is need of medication, was not available.
Efforts to track him down have not been successful and police said “Ondrea’s whereabouts remain unknown.”
Officers are investigating to determine if there is any connection between Ondrea’s disappearance and Butler’s death, police said.
Anyone with information about Ondrea, or his whereabouts, is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.