Burned remains found in woods belong to man ‘ambushed’ in abandoned home, SC cops say

Skeletal remains found burned in the woods were identified as a man “ambushed” in an abandoned home, officials said.

Daniel Altman was found dead a week after he was reported missing in Georgetown County, South Carolina. The 25-year-old is remembered as a man who “loved his job and was not afraid of hard work.”

“Daniel enjoyed riding in his car, spending time with friends, hunting, fishing, and going to the beach,” according to an obituary on the Mayer-Ethridge Funeral Home & Crematorium website.

But Altman’s life was cut short April 11 when he reportedly was “lured” to a place where he thought he was meeting a Tinder match for a sexual encounter. But the dating app profile was fake, and three men “ambushed” him and shot him several times, according to the Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office.

Now, three people are charged with murder in the case. Deputies in a news release didn’t list attorney information for the men, identified as 18-year-old Marquise Tyron Mitchum, 19-year-old Jakiel Treyvon Chattine and his older brother 20-year-old Javon Armel Chattine.

After Altman was shot and killed at an abandoned home in the town of Kingstree, the three men “burned the victim’s body in a nearby wooded area,” deputies wrote. The group is accused of stealing Altman’s vehicle and his other possessions.

Then a week later, human remains were found in the patch of woods in Kingstree. The remains were identified as Altman, though an autopsy report was pending as of April 26, Williamsburg County Coroner Ivori Henryhand told McClatchy News in a phone interview.

Altman, a cook at a Texas Roadhouse restaurant, had been missing since Georgetown County deputies said he was last seen at his home on April 11.

“This was not like Daniel so we knew something had to have happened to him for him to not come home,” his sister, Caroline Altman, told GAB News, adding that family members didn’t know why he was chosen as a target.

“Daniel had a network of friends and he would have done anything for them,” his mother, Lee Creel, told the news outlet. “And, I think they would have done the same for him.”

After Altman’s vehicle was involved in a chase, the sheriff’s offices reportedly discovered that Mitchum and another person had been driving it. “The investigation further revealed that Marquise Mitchum was in possession of the victim’s debit card and provided the debit card to Javon Chattine in an effort to retrieve” $100 out of an ATM, officials wrote.

In addition to murder, the three men face multiple charges, including destruction or removal of human remains and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. A fourth person, who was accused of driving Altman’s car, is charged with “possession/sell/disposal of a stolen vehicle,” the Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office said.

A homicide investigation continues, and anyone with information is asked to call Williamsburg County deputies at 843-355-6381. People also can share details with Crime Stoppers at 888-274-6372, peedeeswanted.com or on a mobile application called P3 Tips.

Kingstree is roughly 70 miles north of Charleston.

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