2 Teens Arrested After Missing 18-Year-Old Is Found Dead in a Burned Car: 'A Tragedy That Should Not Happen'

Mar. 15, 2025

Malachi Pressley; MyAngel Walker; Taylor Kinard.Photo:Laurens County Sheriff’s Office; MyAngel Walker/Facebook

Laurens County Sheriff’s Office; MyAngel Walker/Facebook

A day after a South Carolina teen went missing, her body was found in a burned car. Now, two people have been arrested.

After 18-year-old MyAngel Walker did not show up to work on Thursday, Dec. 12, her loved ones knew something was off, according toFOX Carolina.

Walker’s family reported her missing to the Laurens Police Department and, as she was last seen in Clinton, South Carolina, the Clinton Police Department also joined the investigation, the outlet reported.

“It became apparent during the night that we were looking for something a little more than just somebody missing,” Laurens Police Chief Heath Copeland told FOX Carolina.

MyAngel Walker.MyAngel Walker/Facebook

MyAngel Walker/Facebook

Walker had suffered a gunshot wound, FOX Carolina reported. No other details about the location of the wound or her cause of death have been publicized.

The person who wounded Walker, according to Clinton Police, is 19-year-old Malachi Pressley, whom Walker’s mother, Sade Woodruff, identified as her daughter’s on-and-off boyfriend.

Police say Pressley shot Walker on Gary Street in Clinton between 10 and 11 p.m. local time on Dec. 11, according to FOX Carolina. He has since been arrested and charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

Taylor Kinard’s mugshot.Malachi Pressley’s mugshot.Taylor Kinard’s mugshot.PHOTO:Laurens County Sheriff’s OfficeMalachi Pressley’s mugshot.PHOTO:Laurens County Sheriff’s Office

Taylor Kinard’s mugshot.Malachi Pressley’s mugshot.

Taylor Kinard’s mugshot.

Malachi Pressley’s mugshot.

Taylor Kinard’s mugshot.PHOTO:Laurens County Sheriff’s OfficeMalachi Pressley’s mugshot.PHOTO:Laurens County Sheriff’s Office

Laurens County Sheriff’s Office

Also arrested in connection with Walker’s death was 19-year-old Taylor Kinard, who police say helped dispose of Walker’s body, per FOX Carolina. Charged with accessory after the fact, Kinard “had knowledge of it and she helped,” Clinton Police Chief Michael Addison said.

Both Pressley and Kinard were denied bail during a hearing on Saturday, Dec. 14, the outlet reported.

The Clinton Police Department and Laurens Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday, Dec. 15.

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Walker, a recent high school graduate, planned to become a nurse, her family told FOX Carolina.

“Everything I’ve heard of MyAngel has been, she was a very bright young lady with a very good heart,” Chief Copeland said, per the outlet.

“This is a tragedy that should not happen,” he added. “But we’re glad that we were able to get justice for that family really quickly here.”

For Walker’s mom, however, the arrests don’t offer her any solace. “We lost a big part of our family,” Woodruff told WYFF. “We lost a great person. We lost an amazing person, a leader.”

“If there’s anything wrong, any type of domestics going on,” Woodruff added, “then we ask that you seek help.”

source: people.com