Missing Mom Found Buried Beside a Well Months After Vanishing, Man Arrested

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Norton Funeral Home and Crematory; W. Glenn Campbell Detention Center

Norton Funeral Home and Crematory; W. Glenn Campbell Detention Center

Shamra Felkel, 49, was found dead in Hartsville, S.C., on Dec. 4, Darlington County Coroner J. Todd Hardee confirms to PEOPLE.

Hardee tells PEOPLE Felkel’s remains were found buried beside an old, inoperable dry well. Her body had been placed in a “hollowed out” area beside the well, he says.

She had been buried there for quite some time, Hardee says, adding that her remains had been decomposed when they were found.

WBTWreports, citing arrest warrants, that Peel allegedly strangled Felkel following an argument.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’sfree True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.In an onlineobituary, Felkel is being remembered for being “independent and sassy,” and for her love for the outdoors, animals and jewelry.

In a Facebookpost, her daughter Karli Felkel wrote she is “living in a nightmare.”

“This has got to be the most traumatic thing me and my siblings have experienced and there are just some things people can not come back from,” she wrote, alongside a link to the obituary page for Shamra. “I will miss you for the rest of my life mom. I hope it is so beautiful up there.”

Peel has been charged with murder, kidnapping and obstruction of justice, per the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office. He is being held without bond, per WBTW.

It wasn’t immediately clear if he has entered pleas or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

source: people.com