South Carolina law enforcement officials said Wednesday the disappearance of an Upstate man may have been solved with the discovery of human remains.
Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a release that the remains of 26-year-old Emmanuel Quarles a 2015 murder victim, may have been found in Oconee County.
Wilson said Quarles was last seen leaving his home in Pendleton on April 20, 2015. He said Quarles was last seen leaving with 48-year-old Kerry Cobb.
On Wednesday, almost eight years to the day after Quarles’ disappearance, Wilson said Cobb led members of the Attorney General’s Office and law enforcement officers to an area where suspected human bones were recovered.
The bones will be tested at SLED to confirm that they do, in fact, belong to Emmanuel Quarles, Wilson said.
The discovery comes after years of investigation after Quarles’ disappearance.
Cobb’s truck was found abandoned in Pickens County after Cobb reported it stolen, and Quarles’s blood was found in Cobb’s truck, Wilson said.
Will Freestate, formerly with the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office but currently with Anderson County, and Kreig Marzolf, formerly with the Anderson City Police Department and currently with the local children’s advocacy center, pushed for this case to be charged for years to no avail, according to Wilson.
But in 2019, the Attorney General’s Office charged Kerry Cobb with the murder of Emmanuel Quarles.
Assistant Attorneys General Kinli Abee and Joel Kozak were prepared to start the murder trial on Monday, April 24, but on day three of searching for the remains, human bones were located.
“This case wouldn’t have happened without the persistence of Will Freestate and Kreig Marzolf, and the assistance of Dave Milan with Foothills Search and Rescue,” Wilson said. “His team of handlers, with dogs Havana and Nolan, were able to lead searchers to the remains. A special thank you to the manpower and resources the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office provided over the three search days. Also, thank you to Agents Michael Sloan and Brian Wright with SLED, who assisted with the inmate transport that led to the discovery today.”
Wilson said his office notified Quarles’ family of the find, saying that it “hopefully will begin to bring them some closure to eight years of not knowing what happened to their loved one.”
A plea from Cobb is scheduled for next week, Wilson said.
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