2 charged in case of missing woman

Charleston police arrested a James Island couple Wednesday on charges of forgery and obstruction of justice in the case of a woman missing for nearly four months.

Ethan Mack, 29, and Heather Kamp, 30, of Riley Road, are being held in the Charleston County jail. Bond hearings were scheduled for today, Charleston police spokesman Charles Francis said.

The missing woman, 28-year-old Katherine Waring, is a part-time student who lives with her parents on Murray Boulevard in Charleston.

She vanished the night of June 12, after she went to a West Ashley gym, a downtown drug store and then to Wasabi Japanese Steakhouse with Mack. Her cell phone and credit cards haven't been used since.

Mack and Kamp are accused of having forged a Bank of America check on June 15 in the amount of $4,500 on a joint checking account of Waring and one of her relatives. The check was deposited in an account at a Folly Road bank.

A forensic investigator with the State Law Enforcement Division compared the handwriting on the check with samples of Waring's handwriting and determined they were not written by the same person, the arrest warrants say.

On Sept. 28, according to the arrest warrants, Kamp contacted police and said her earlier statement to police was false. She gave police new information about the events of June 12 that contradict earlier statements by her and

Mack, the warrants say.

Those earlier statements "substantially hindered or impeded" the police department's investigation, the warrants for obstruction of justice say.

The warrants did not reveal the new information learned on Sept. 28, and police would not elaborate. "This is an ongoing investigation," Francis said.

In an interview with The Post and Courier in June, Mack said he had known Waring for about five years and had become a confidant.

He said he dropped Waring off at her home after they ate at Wasabi, and that Waring left a phone message for him later. "I showed the police the message she left me," he said.

In the interview, Mack said he had nothing to do with Waring's disappearance and was trying to help police find her. "If I'm supposed to be a suspect, would you let people search your house? Most people would be running and hiding and wouldn't help look for someone."

The parents of the missing woman, Tom and Janice Waring, issued a statement late Wednesday:

"We are very thankful for the hard work of the Charleston City Police Department and their effort to help bring Kate home. We miss our daughter dearly and hope she can be found as soon as possible."

TO OFFER TIPS

• To provide information on the whereabouts of Katherine Waring, call Charleston police at 577-7434 or Crime Stoppers at 554-1111. Family and friends are offering a $25,000 reward through Crime Stoppers for information to her whereabouts.

• Bring Kate home (web site)

PREVIOUS STORIES

• Man says he's not involved in case; Friend says he's frustrated that some people think he might be a suspect, published 08/05/09

• Kate Waring's family issues new plea for information, published 09/11/09

Reach Tony Bartelme at 937-5554 or tbartelme@postandcourier.com. Reach David MacDougall at 937-5655 or macdougd@postandcourier.com.