Search for missing women continues after body, burned car found in forest

A search for two missing women took a sad turn Tuesday when a body and a burned car were found in a remote area of Berkeley County.

Investigators believe the car is the 2000 white Chevy Metro owned by 18-year-old Dana Woods. She and 22-year-old June Guerry, both of the Moncks Corner area, have been missing since Sunday night.

The body was a female, but her identity was not confirmed pending an autopsy, Coroner Bill Salisbury said. The body was found about 100 yards from the car, and it was not burned, officials said.

Salisbury said he waited until after notifying the families of the missing women before announcing that a body had been found.

Woods is a student and works at Papa John's, and Guerry works at a Walmart. Both are graduates of Timberland High School.

Jennifer Hill, Woods' mother, last spoke with her daughter at 11:51 p.m. Sunday, when Woods told Hill that she was going to a McDonald's in Moncks Corner, according to a Facebook page called “Help find Dana Woods and June Guerry” that Hill posted.

Hill said Guerry's father and brother-in-law spotted Woods' car about 11:30 a.m. Monday going over the Tailrace Canal, being driven by a young white man without Dana and June in the car, according to her Facebook page.

The burned car was spotted in the woods off a dirt road in the Francis Marion National Forest about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sheriff's Office spokesman Dan Moon said. The dirt road comes off Cane Gully Road in the Cordsville community south of Moncks Corner.

The Sheriff's Office and Berkeley County Rescue Squad organized a search around the car that included dogs, volunteers on horses, all-terrain vehicles and people on foot. A dive team also searched a creek near the site. Rain was heavy early in the afternoon, then slacked off to an occasional drizzle later in the day.

The search will continue today, Moon said.

April Guerry, 31, one of June Guerry's five siblings, said her sister has a 2-year-old daughter whom she watches diligently.

But June Guerry hasn't called, and no one has been able to reach her, April Guerry said.

“She has a daughter at the house right now, and she's always checking on her if she does go off to do something,” April Guerry said. “We have heard nothing from her. My sister has never done anything like this.”

Family members described Woods as 5-foot-2 and 150 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes, and Guerry as 5-foot-4 and 140 pounds with auburn hair and blue eyes.

A group of the girls' friends showed up at the search site Tuesday evening wanting to help find them.

Jeffrey Lynn Wilson, 21, of Moncks Corner, said Guerry was best friends with his sister, and he knew her when they both attended Timberland. He described her as outgoing and playful. He heard she was missing through Facebook.

“I was shocked,” he said. “She was always a lot of fun.”

Reach Dave Munday at 937-5553 or Andrew Knapp at 937-5414.