Possible Human Remains found could be tied to 2015 Murder

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announces that the remains of a 2015 murder victim may have been found in Oconee County.  Emmanuel Quarles, 27, was last seen leaving his home in Pendleton, SC, on April 20, 2015. Today, the person charged with his murder led members of the Attorney General’s Office and law enforcement officers to an area where suspected human bones were recovered. The bones will be tested at SLED to confirm that they do in fact belong to Emmanuel Quarles.  Quarles was last seen leaving with Kerry Cobb, 48, of Seneca, SC. Cobb’s truck was subsequently found abandoned in Pickens County after Cobb reported it stolen. Quarles’s blood was found in Cobb’s truck.  Will Freestate, formerly with the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office but currently with Anderson County, and Kreig Marzloff, formerly with the Anderson City Police Department and currently with the local children’s advocacy center, pushed for this case to be charged for years to no avail. But in 2019, the Attorney General’s Office charged Kerry Cobb with the murder of Emmanuel Quarles.  Assistant Attorneys General Kinli Abee and Joel Kozak were prepared to start the murder trial on Monday, April 24th, but on day three of searching for the remains, human bones were located. This case wouldn’t have happened without the persistence of Will Freestate and Kreig Marzloff, and the assistance of Dave Milan with Foothills Search and Rescue. His team of handlers, with dogs Havana and Nolan, were able to lead searchers to the remains. A special thank you to the manpower and resources the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office provided over the three search days. Also, thank you to Agents Michael Sloan and Brian Wright with SLED who assisted with the inmate transport that led to the discovery today.  Within the Attorney General’s Office, we couldn’t have done this without the help of Don Zelenka, Anthony Mabry, Vanessa Payton, Trisha Allen, Valerie Williams, Matt Ellis, Connor Roark, and Caroline Clark. Trisha Allen was able to notify the family earlier of our find, which hopefully will begin to bring them some closure to eight years of not knowing what happened to their loved one.  A plea is scheduled for next week.