Antar Antonio Jeter (Danville Police Department)
DANVILLE, Va. - Aspen Jeter, the 5-year-old South Carolina girl whose mother’s decomposing body was found at her home on Thanksgiving Day, has been found safe. Her father has been taken into police custody.
The Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office said the young girl was found with her 47-year-old father, Antar Antonio Jeter, around 12:40 p.m. Friday in Danville, Virginia, about 270 miles away from her South Carolina home.
Mr. Jeter was charged with murder and grand larceny. He was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals and Virginia authorities. The arrest ends a two-week-long manhunt.
Investigators say Antar Jeter killed the young girl’s mother, Crystal Jumper, and then stole her blue 2015 Mazda. Jumper had not been seen since Nov. 1 and police were contacted to perform a welfare check. The first deputy to arrive saw insects crawling on the windows and smelled decomposition, according to a police report.
Aspen Jeter (Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office )
An autopsy determined Jumper was shot in the chest by someone else.
Jumper’s family reported 5-year-old Aspen Jeter missing once her mother’s body was found, but authorities could not issue an Amber Alert because Antar Jeter is the girl’s custodial parent.
Investigators have spent the last two weeks searching for the father and child, following up on hundreds if not thousands of tips and reported sightings.
No word on when Jeter will be extradited back to South Carolina to face those charges.
Authorities say they were working to reunite the young girl with her family.
The Associated Press contributed to this report