Police in Orangeburg, South Carolina, have charged a man with murder after the bones of a former roommate were discovered buried under a fire pit in his backyard.
The Myrtle Beach Police Department reported that 54-year-old Sheridan Dirk Fogle of Orangeburg was arrested on Thursday and charged with the murder of 51-year-old Penni Whiteside.
The United States Marshals Service and the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety assisted police by serving an arrest warrant to Fogle’s residence on Broughton Street at 7:30 a.m. that day in connection with a missing person and murder investigation that began on May 11, 2022.
“On June 12 in the 600 block of 1st Avenue in Myrtle Beach, the remains of Penni Whiteside were discovered buried in the yard outside of her home,” the Horry County Coroner’s office stated. “Ms. Whiteside was last seen in the spring of 2022; she was 51 at the time. The MBPD is investigating this death as a homicide.
According to authorities, Whiteside and Fogle lived together in 2022, and an inquiry discovered that neighbors’ comments suggested the deceased was buried in her garden behind a fire pit.
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On June 12, 2024, investigators secured a search warrant for the property in the 600 block of First Avenue South in Myrtle Beach.
During their inspection of the site, investigators discovered human remains that were ultimately identified as those of Whiteside.
“This is a tragic loss of life and a senseless crime of violence,” Myrtle Beach police wrote on Facebook. “Please continue to pray for the family and friends of the victim.”