South Carolina man charged with murder of ex-girlfriend, a Fayetteville native

Jamilla Smith, 30, was last seen Dec. 2 after calling 911 to report her ex-boyfriend was at her South Carolina home.

Posted 4:41 p.m. Mar 8 — Updated 11:12 p.m. Mar 8

Gilbert Baez

, WRAL Fayetteville reporter

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A South Carolina man is charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend, a Fayetteville native now presumed dead.

A prayer vigil will be held Saturday night in Fayetteville for Jamilla Smith, 30, who was last seen Dec. 2 after calling 911 to report her ex-boyfriend was at her Jackson, S.C., home.

Jamilla Smith, 30, was last seen Dec. 2 after calling 911 to report her ex-boyfriend was at her Jackson, S.C., home. A $5,000 reward is being offered for tips that bring her home.

On Dec. 5, the Aiken County Sheriff's Office arrested Daniel Gabriel Harmon, 34, identified by family members as Smith's ex-boyfriend.

Harmon was charged with murder, second-degree domestic violence and kidnapping after investigators from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office found enough evidence to arrest him including Smith's blood in his car.

"There's a history of 911 calls that Jamilla made where she was calling for police assistance for domestic violence. we have a couple of emails that came straight from Jamilla's email. and she was begging for help," Kimberly Kite, the broken link foundation founder said.

Family members told WRAL News Smith had been trying to break up with Harmon for some time.

"It's just overwhelming that nothing has been recovered. no answers," said Malika Smith, Jamilla Smith's stepmother. "We're waiting for trails. It's kind of like being stagnate, like you don't know what to do."

Investigators said they've recovered strong evidence that Harmon killed Smith., but her body has not been located.

Family members said Smith, who is from Fayetteville, moved to South Carolina to build a family.

"She was trying to create a life there, trying to going to school, have a business, helping him with his family [and] trying to create a life," Malika said. "And unfortunately things didn't work out that way."

A prayer vigil will be held 6:30 p.m. on Saturday in Fayetteville at First Impressions Academy, 6965 Nexus Court.

"It does feel like a failure because we haven't found her yet. We know that it does seem like there's times where not doing anything but we're working with our sources office to put together a solid case for prosecution," Eric Abdullah, Aiken County Sheriff's office spokesman said.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or the Aiken County Sheriff's Office at 877-972-2634.

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