MARION COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Seventeen warrants have been issued by Marion County authorities against a man who is now accused of kidnapping and killing a Pee Dee paramedic before going to New Mexico and gunning down a state police officer.
The warrants against Jaremy Smith, 33, of Marion, who remains in federal custody in New Mexico, are for murder, kidnapping, carjacking, criminal conspiracy, two counts of grand larceny of a motor vehicle, two counts of first-degree burglary, two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and seven counts of being a felon in possession of a handgun.
Phonesia Machado-Fore, 52, who worked for EMS agencies in Florence and Marion counties, disappeared from her home on Wildwood Loop in Marion in early March. Her body was found on March 15 outside of Lake View in Dillon County.
Smith was identified as a “person of interest” in Machado-Fore’s death soon after her body was found and news broke that Smith was a suspect in the killing of New Mexico State Police Officer Justin Hare, who authorities said was ambushed when he stopped to help Smith on Interstate 40 west of Tucumcari. Authorities said he was in Machado-Fore’s car when it broke down and Hare stopped to offer assistance.
New Mexico authorities said this week that Smith will remain in federal custody.
Capt. Darren Miles who heads the Criminal Investigations Division for the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and is the lead investigator on this case, called it the largest multi-agency investigation that he has ever been involved in.
“Thank you to all our local, state, and federal partners for the long hours and manpower you contributed to this investigation,” he said Friday in a news release. “As a result of your assistance and dedication, justice will be served for Phonesia Machado-Fore.”
Multiple agencies have assisted in the investigation, including the Dillon County Sheriff’s Office, the Dillon County Coroner’s Office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the FBI, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Fourth and 12 Circuit solicitors’ offices.
Marion County Sheriff Brian Wallace said the charges against Smith would not have been possible “without the incredible collaboration with the New Mexico State Police and Bernanillo County Sherif’s Office, who in the midst of losing a brother, dug their heels in and worked tirelessly to identify, charge, and apprehend Jaremy Smith in New Mexico.”
“I have never seen a larger investigative force and collaboration than I have with this case,” Wallace said in the news release. “For days, my office was filled with law enforcement officers from federal, state, and local agencies around the clock with one mission: find Phonesia and the person or persons responsible for her disappearance.
“While we regret that we were unable to return Phonesia to her loved ones alive and well, we were able to locate her and offer her loved ones an opportunity to say a final farewell. I am incredibly proud of my own department. They have worked together flawlessly and put in hundreds of hours of overtime to ensure that this case was resolved. We are far from done. This is still an active investigation.
“We will not rest until every person involved in this horrific crime is brought to justice. Our hearts will always be with the family of Phonesia Machado-Fore, the New Mexico State Police and the family of Officer Justin Hare.”
Dillon County Sheriff Jamie Hamilton called the case “senseless” and “tragic.”
“However, the citizens have entrusted law enforcement to make sure justice will prevail,” Hamilton said in the news release. “I cannot begin to say, ‘Thank You’ enough to the many law enforcement agencies involved in this case. Sheriff Wallace has already mentioned the multiple agencies involved but I would also like to recognize our citizens.
“This case brought national attention and our community truly got involved. Our citizens readily stepped up to ensure justice would prevail. May we never forget Phonesia Machado-Fore. I ask our community now to put their focus on her family and continue to lift her family up in prayer. Further, may we not forget the tragic loss of fellow officer Justin Hare, New Mexico State Police. I certainly believe in the power of prayer.”
