Melissa Aguilar: Missing South Carlolina grandma’s sister spots her jawbone 5 months after she vanished

ORANGEBURG COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA: A family’s search for their missing grandma ended in horror after they found her jawbone and other remains in a dirt near her home.

Melissa Aguilar, 49, disappeared on August 18, 2023, after leaving her Holly Hill home. She was last seen with her boyfriend and reported missing the next day following an argument, WIS-TV reports. 

Sarah Shipman makes a shocking discovery in her sister's missing case 

Her sister, Sarah Shipman, said she was notified by the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office last week that remains were found less than half-a-mile from the house, but they had not been positively identified yet.

She decided to visit the site with Aguilar’s two daughters, Brittany Ranew and Shanna Brown, and made a shocking discovery.

“As I was hugging my nieces and consoling them, I looked down and found my sister’s jawbone between my feet,” she told WAFB.

“We know her smile, and that smile was in the dirt, and you don’t unsee that, and you know someone’s smile," she added.

Melissa Aguilar's remains were scattered over a large area

Shipman took her nieces away from the scene and then returned to inspect the remains further. She said she found more pieces of her sister, including her dental work, that the investigators had missed.

“I found her dental work and close to 20 more pieces of my sister that they had walked over and left behind,” she said.

The family was outraged by the alleged negligence of the sheriff’s office and said they were promised that the remains would be collected, but when they went back to the site on Tuesday, January 9, they still saw bones and a tooth.

“I knew, there was something telling me there was more,” Shipman said.

The coroner, Samuetta Marshall, said the remains were spread over a 30-foot area, just off Fourwind Road. The remains have been sent to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for processing and identification, and an outside forensic anthropologist has been hired to assist in the investigation.

Melissa Aguilar's family seeks answers and justice

The family is still waiting for the confirmation that the remains belong to Aguilar, and they have many questions about what happened to her.

Shanna Brown, her daughter, told WIS said she does not believe her mother would have left on her own and that the last time they spoke, they were planning for her sister’s and her own weddings.

“So nothing’s adding up at all. And I just want answers, and I don’t think I’ll honestly ever have closure, but it’s worth a shot,” she said.

Brown also said she struggles to cope with the loss of her mother who was more than anyone could describe.

“My six-year-old is constantly asking me, ‘Why is Mamie on the news?’ and then my one-year-old is not going to remember her. I’m going to have to remind him of who she was. She’s going to miss my wedding day,” she said.