Man wanted in SC homicide, abduction was arrested in Charlotte, warrants show

This browser does not support the video element.

By Mark Becker

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — New search warrants obtained by Channel 9 revealed that a man who was wanted for gruesome homicide and child abduction involving an 8-year-old girl in South Carolina was arrested in Charlotte.

[PAST COVERAGE: Body found in South Carolina is missing 8-year-old girl, coroner says]

When police arrested Jejauncey Harrington in Charlotte on May 11, it was for a larceny. But officers had a warning from South Carolina that he could be armed and dangerous, and that he may have been involved in a murder and child abduction.

His arrest happened six days after deputies in Bennettsville, South Carolina, found Ella Lowery dead in her home, and Lowery's 8-year-old daughter, Iyana, missing.

(Iyana Lowery)

It launched an intense search that ended 11 days later when deputies found the little girl's body in a remote area near McColl, South Carolina.

A search warrant served on the car Harrington was driving when he was arrested in Charlotte revealed the trail that detectives followed to make the case against Harrington.

It showed that Ella Lowery had gotten a text message from Harrington's phone at 1:08 a.m. the day she was killed.  Shortly after that Harrington's cell phone was shut off and not used again, according to the search warrant.

Ella Lowery made her final post at 1:33 a.m. on Facebook.

Meanwhile surveillance video showed Harrington leaving his home at 12:30 a.m. that day and coming back at 2:05 a.m.

(Jejauncey Harrington)

When detectives got to Harrison’s home later that morning, they found a T-shirt belonging to Iyana, documents showed. Tests revealed that blood around the neckline was Iyana's and a second bloodstain on the shirt was her mother, Ella's blood.

Harrington agreed to go back to South Carolina on May 12, where he is charged with murder and kidnapping.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com: