A YOUNG woman’s body has been recovered and her husband and two others have been arrested after a weeks-long search.
Jessica Barnes, 20, went missing in early August but her disappearance was not reported until September.
Jessica was last seen at her Pendleton, South Carolina home – roughly two hours from Atlanta, Georgia – on August 1.
But it wasn’t until September 10 that she was reported missing by her mom, Cecilia Varvara.
Her remains have been found in Pickens County, according to multiple reports.
At the time of her disappearance, Jessica was married to Brandon Barnes, 21, and the couple was living with roommates in a shared home.
Now, The U.S. Sun can confirm Brandon and two other women have been arrested by Pendleton police and are jailed in Anderson County.
Victoria Tippett and Kendall Mims, both 20, are also in custody.
Further information, including the nature of their arrests and any pending charges, has not yet been released.
Brandon was never publicly named a person of interest during Jessica’s disappearance.
The home the couple shared was searched by officials shortly after Jessica was officially reported missing, but Pendleton Police Chief Robert Crosby maintained that Brandon was not a person of interest in the case.
However, Crosby did confirm that the young couple were having marital issues.
“There was some issues with her and her husband,” Crosby told local NBC affiliate WYFF.
“They were having the typical marital disputes, argumentative, and then, she just left.”
But Crosby said neither Brandon nor the roommates knew where Jessica went when she left the home.
When Jessica’s disappearance was first reported and The U.S. Sun reached out to Brandon for comment, he wanted to speak out.
But he also shared he had “not been feeling good lately.”
Brandon did speak out to Blunt Force Media in one of his only public statements following Jessica’s disappearance.
He and Victoria were seen putting up missing person flyers in Pendleton Square, reportedly one of Jessica’s favorite spots.
When asked what his message to his wife was, Brandon told Blunt Force Media, “I would tell her how much I love her and I wish I never went to work everyday and ignored her.
“I ignored her voice, told her she was fine when I knew she wasn’t.”
Brandon also addressed the social media rumors of his involvement in Jessica’s disappearance.
“It’s just nasty—all the comments and the ‘M’ word and all the other stuff. I could physically never do something like that,” he told the outlet.
Timeline of Jessica Barnes’ disappearance
August 1 – Jessica Barnes is last seen by her husband at home in Pendleton, South Carolina.
September 10 – Jessica’s mom receives a suspicious text from her daughter and reports her missing.
September 19 – Police search a wooded area near the Twin Lakes Boat Ramp. The Pendleton community holds a vigil.
September 20 – Cops search the home Jessica shares with her husband, Brandon, and roommates.
September 24 – Brandon tells The U.S. Sun he has “not been feeling good lately.”
October 1 – Remains reportedly belonging to Jessica are discovered in Pickens County.
October 2 – Brandon and two others are reportedly taken into custody in Anderson County.
‘SHARE HER NAME’
Varvara reported Jessica missing after she received a strange text message from her daughter.
But Varvara had doubts that it was written by Jessica and sounded the alarm.
The U.S. Sun also reached out to Varvara, who said she didn’t know where Jessica was but was desperate to keep her daughter’s name out there.
“Share her name please at this point,” Varvara pleaded.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is now handling the investigation.
The U.S. Sun reached out to SLED and officials in Pickens and Anderson counties for comment.
