Missing Child Search shifts to Recovery

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The search for a missing 5-year-old, whose mother was found slain, has shifted to a recovery effort based on information provided Monday night by the suspect. According to a press release from Sumter Police Department Chief Russell Roark, officers, assisted by area law enforcement agencies and other resources, have been searching throughout the night into this morning and will continue until the body of Nevaeh (correct spelling) Lashy Adams is located. The search for Adams began immediately after police were called after 6 p.m. Monday to Lantana Apartments when the body of her mother, Sharee Bradley, 29, was found inside her apartment by a family member. The suspect, Daunte Maurice Johnson, 28, also known as Daunte Johnson, who is considered a transient, was seen fleeing the location. He was later located by police at a residence in a nearby neighborhood and taken into custody. During the course of the interview, Johnson said he killed Bradley, with whom he was acquainted, and her daughter. He also provided information that could help police locate her. “Finding this little girl is first and foremost and we have and will continue to use every resource available to make that happen,” Chief Russell Roark said. “Our prayers are with the family and we will continue to assist them throughout this tragic ordeal.” A preliminary investigation by the Sumter County Coroner’s Office determined Bradley had been dead for several hours before she was found. Based on the information gathered, police think Adams was killed during the same time frame as her mother. Officers also are working to learn more about the suspect, who has a criminal record in other states and is a suspect in a Missouri homicide. Johnson is being held in the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center on a murder charge. A first appearance hearing is pending. The S.C. Law Enforcement Division was notified. However, because an abduction did not occur and other factors, the case did not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert.