7 still missing from Sumter as new year approaches
As we enter the new decade, there are still a handful of Sumterites who remain to be found. The Sumter Police Department and the Sumter County Sheriff's Office provided to The Sumter Item information on Sumter's open missing person cases.
Anyone with information is asked to call the police department at (803) 436-2700, the sheriff's office at (803) 436-2000 or (803) 436-2014 or Crime Stoppers, where you can leave an anonymous tip, at 1-888-CRIME-SC.
Tommy Lee Brailey
Age at time: 52
Height: 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 6 inches
Weight: About 165-180 pounds
Distinguishing features: He has black hair and brown eyes.
Last seen: Aug. 24, 2017, after leaving a Wesmark Boulevard nightclub. Brailey was driving a silver 2004 BMW 325i with SC tag LYB406 and a Pittsburgh Steelers chrome plate on the front. He was wearing a polo shirt with horizontal blue-and-white stripes and dark pants, possibly blue jeans.
Department handling the case: Sumter Police Department
Barbara Ellen Brunson
Age at time: 66
Height: 5 feet 5 inches
Weight: About 140 pounds
Distinguishing features: Black hair and brown eyes
Last seen: Aug. 4, 2008, after walking off from an assisted living facility. She was last seen wearing a brown and red shirt, blue jeans, black shoes, purple scarf and red socks.
Department handling the case: Sumter Police Department
Willie John Ham
Age at time: 50
Height: 5 feet 9 inches
Weight: About 210 pounds
Distinguishing features: He is bald and has brown eyes.
Last seen: Also known as Peter Jones, Ham was seen Feb. 7, 2010, wearing blue jeans, a blue jacket and tennis shoes.
Department handling the case: Sumter Police Department
Barbara Ann Jenkins
Age at time: 44
Height: 5 feet 4 inches
Weight: About 170 pounds
Last seen: Aug. 29, 2013. She was wearing black jeans and black shirt.
Department handling the case: Sumter Police Department
Julia Bean
Age at time: 38
Height: 5 feet 6 inches
Weight: About 110 pounds
Distinguishing features: She has light brown hair and green eyes. She also has three tattoos, a tribal design on her lower back; the name Scott on her left hip; and eight small paw prints on her right hip.
Last seen: In the Red Bay Road area on May 31, 2017, and was last on Facebook on June 8, 2017. She was reported missing Nov. 18, 2017. Her family said she could have left the area on foot.
Department handling case: Sumter County Sheriff's Office
Barbara Nave
Age at time: 82
Height: 5 feet 4 inches
Weight: 140 pounds
Distinguishing features: Nave is deaf and wears a Cochlear implant. She has gray hair and hazel eyes.
Last seen: Nave was last seen by her family on Feb. 4, 2017, when she left her son's house in Savannah, Georgia, after celebrating her birthday. He last heard from her Feb. 9, 2017. Nave's vehicle and purse were still at her residence, and nothing seemed to have been disturbed inside the house. According to Nave's son, she does not have any disorders that would have prevented her from finding her way home.
Department handling the case: Sumter County Sheriff's Office
Willie Hodge Jr.
Age at time: 37
Height: 5 feet 8 inches
Weight: About 140 pounds
Distinguishing features: Brown eyes and brown hair
Last seen: By family about 8:15 p.m. on Jan. 23, 2019, leaving a residence on Island Drive after a verbal altercation with his mother. Hodge was also identified during a traffic stop at the intersection of Pinewood Road and Columbia Circle on Jan. 24, 2019. During the traffic stop, Hodge pulled the vehicle into a driveway on Columbia Circle and fled the area on foot. Hodge's family reported him missing Jan. 30, 2019. His driver's license and cellphone were left inside the vehicle.
Department handling the case: Sumter County Sheriff's Office