Episode 118 - The Sumter County Does

Early in the morning on August 9th, 1976, a truck driver passing through Sumter County, South Carolina, stopped to rest. To his shock and horror he discovered the remains of two murder victims shot and left along the edge of an isolated, dirt road.

When investigators arrived they presumed they would have their biggest challenge tracking down the killer. They never imagined that the identity of the victims would be the more enduring mystery.

UPDATE

In June of 2019  The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by Matt McDaniel, a citizen investigator and researcher who had followed the case for years.  McDaniel put the Sheriff’s Office in touch with the DNA Doe Project.  Then the news broke – Jane and Jock had finally been identified.  At a press conference on January 21st, 2021, The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office and DNA Doe Project confirmed the victims as thirty year old James Paul Freund who had gone missing out of Lancaster, Pennsylvania on December 26th, 1975 and twenty-five year old Pamela Mae Buckley who had disappeared from Colorado Springs, Colorado, much like James, in December of 1975.  

James Paul Freund was the only child of Adam and Lolaetta Freund. He graduated from McCaskey High School in 1964. That same year he enlisted in the army, spending time at Fort Knox, The Army Ordnance Proving Ground in Maryland and Bremerhaven, Germany. In December of 1965, James married his high school sweetheart and they would have one child together in 1970. James filed for divorce in 1971 and was last spoken to by relatives on December 25th, 1975. Eight months later, he would be murdered in Sumter County.

Pamela Mae Buckley was the first born daughter of Robert and Shirley Buckley who would go on to have five children in total. Pamela attended Redwood Falls High School where she participated in drama club and choir, always having a love for singing. In 1971, she abdicated her throne as “Sno-Queen,” in order to go on tour with the band “Sunlending.” Pam married in October of 1972 when she settled in Colorado, first in Manitou Springs and later in Colorado Springs. In December of 1975, Pam was reported missing and her husband filed for divorce. That divorce was finalized eleven days after she was brutally murdered alongside James in Sumter County.

The homicide investigation is open and active, with Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis telling reporters they do have persons of interest they’ll be interviewing. For full details regarding the case, as well as greater information about James and Pam’s lives, listen to Update - Sumter County Does Identified - Ep 118