COLUMBUS COUNTY: Police are looking for information that will lead them to the body of a 4-year-old South Carolina girl, whose mother is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her murder.
Kynande Bennett went missing in 2002. Her mother, Vartasha McCullough, told police that while shopping in the Whiteville K-mart, her daughter disappeared. Police believe McCullough's story was fabricated, and based on witness reports, they don't believe the girl had been with McCullough in the K-mart at all.
Her body could be anywhere from North Carolina to New Jersey. Authorities in Conway, S.C., where Bennett and her mother were living at the time, were exploring a possible link between Bennett's disappearance and the body of a young black girl found in New Jersey. DNA lab results on the body have not yet been returned.
McCullough was convicted of homicide by child abuse, aiding and abetting child abuse, and child neglect in 2006. Charges against Bennett's father were dropped.
Two days before Bennett disappeared, her grandparents called police with concerns about the girl's wellbeing.
If you have information on this case, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED (1.866.439.2683) or click on "Report a Tip" Your identity can be kept confidential.
