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The Murder of Jessica Barnes

● Awaiting Trial Domestic Violence South Carolina
Victim
Jessica Barnes
Age at Death
20
Date of Death
August 2, 2024
Location
Pendleton, South Carolina
Cause of Death
Asphyxiation by Strangulation
Charged
Brandon Barnes + 2 Co-Defendants
Relationship
Husband
Case Status
Awaiting Trial
Jessica Barnes | 2003–2024
NameJessica Barnes
Age20
FromPendleton, South Carolina
HeritageRomanian
MotherCecilia Varvara
HusbandBrandon Richard Barnes
The Victim

Jessica Barnes

Jessica Barnes was 20 years old and from Pendleton, South Carolina. She came from a large, close-knit Romanian family and was studying to become a teacher at a technical school near her home. She had previously worked at a local diner and was described by her family and those who knew her as bright, compassionate, and deeply faithful. Her family advocate Troy Styles said she had ambition, she had dreams, and her soul was a constant witness to others through her faith.

After beginning a relationship with Brandon Barnes, Jessica gradually withdrew from her studies, lost her job, and became more distant from her family. She and Brandon married on January 28, 2024. The couple lived in a pool house on Laurel Drive in Pendleton with two other women, Kendall Mims and Victoria Tippett. Jessica was not aware until later that Brandon had previously obtained a marriage license with Mims just months before marrying her, and that the two had never divorced. She was also unaware that Mims was the mother of Brandon's infant child, who was also living in the pool house.

In March 2024 Jessica suffered a stillbirth. Her family says she wanted to be a devoted wife and would ask her mother for encouragement and prayer. She was last seen alive on August 1, 2024, in a video leaving her mother's home to collect some of her belongings. Brandon waited for her in the car on the street. Her mother would never see her again.

01
Background

What We Know

Jessica Barnes was last seen on August 1, 2024, leaving her mother's home in Pendleton to collect some of her belongings. Brandon Barnes waited in his car outside. The following day, August 2, 2024, Brandon strangled Jessica to death inside the pool house on Laurel Drive where all four of them lived. According to investigative testimony, he killed her while attempting to physically restrain her. He admitted to the murder after being advised of his Miranda rights.

Victoria Tippett was at home when the murder occurred. Kendall Mims was at work and returned to find Jessica's body had already been placed inside a large plastic tote. Surveillance footage showed Brandon and Tippett purchasing the tote from a Walmart prior to the disposal. All three then transported Jessica's remains to a wooded area near the Twin Lakes boat ramp in Pickens County, approximately four miles from the pool house. They attempted to dig a hole to bury her but ultimately burned her remains in the plastic tote. Three of her teeth and part of her jawbone were found on a nearby hiking trail; additional remains were found in a five-gallon bucket on the Laurel Drive property.

Jessica's mother, Cecilia Varvara, reported her missing on September 10, 2024, after receiving eerie text messages from an account under Jessica's name that she did not believe were written by her daughter, and after her phone was disconnected. For over a month, Jessica had been missing while those responsible continued living in the pool house, giving interviews about her disappearance, and eventually leaving the state on a cross-country road trip to Colorado.

02
Case Timeline

How It Unfolded

January 28, 2024
Jessica Marries Brandon Barnes — Unaware of His Prior Marriage to Mims
Jessica and Brandon obtain a marriage license from Anderson County Probate Court and marry on January 28, 2024. Unknown to Jessica, Brandon had obtained a marriage license with Kendall Mims from the same court just six months earlier in July 2023. Brandon and Mims were never divorced. Brandon also has an infant child with Mims. All four are living together in the pool house on Laurel Drive, Pendleton, owned by Mims' grandfather Ron Herrin.
August 1, 2024
Jessica Last Seen Alive — Visits Her Mother
Jessica is captured on video leaving her mother Cecilia Varvara's home in Pendleton, where she has gone to collect some of her belongings. Brandon waits in his car on the street outside. This is the last confirmed video of Jessica alive. Her family would never see her again.
August 2, 2024
Jessica Murdered — Body Disposed of in Pickens County
Brandon Barnes strangles Jessica to death inside the pool house on Laurel Drive. Victoria Tippett is present. Kendall Mims is at work and returns to find Jessica's body already placed inside a large plastic tote purchased at Walmart. Surveillance footage captures Brandon and Tippett buying the tote. All three then transport Jessica's remains to a wooded area near the Twin Lakes boat ramp in Pickens County, approximately four miles away, where they burn her body in the tote. They also attempt to bury her remains in a hole they dig at the scene.
September 10, 2024
Jessica Reported Missing by Her Mother
After more than five weeks without contact, Cecilia Varvara reports her daughter missing to the Pendleton Police Department. She has received eerie text messages from an account under Jessica's name that she does not believe were written by her daughter, and Jessica's phone has been disconnected. Pendleton Police Chief Robert Crosby begins the investigation. During initial interviews, Brandon Barnes tells investigators that Jessica often went missing for days, even weeks.
September 16–20, 2024
SLED Called In — Remains Discovered — Pool House Searched
Investigators request assistance from the SC State Law Enforcement Division on September 16 after noting the absence of any phone or social media trace from a 20-year-old woman. Investigators discover Brandon Barnes visited the Twin Lakes area multiple times after Jessica went missing. On September 19, a search of the wooded area near Twin Lakes Road uncovers what appear to be human remains. On September 20, a search warrant is executed at the Laurel Drive pool house. A forensic anthropologist from Clemson University assists in identifying the remains as human.
September 17–21, 2024
All Three Suspects Flee to Colorado — Return After Debating Whether to Run
While investigators are searching the Twin Lakes area, Brandon, Kendall, and Victoria leave South Carolina on September 17 on a road trip to Colorado. They debated whether to continue running from law enforcement but ultimately returned to the Laurel Drive property on September 21. Between September 24 and 25, Brandon and Victoria give video interviews to Troy Styles of Blunt Force Media, with Brandon saying he believes Jessica will still come home, while standing near a missing persons poster for her.
October 1, 2024
Remains Confirmed as Jessica Barnes
A forensic odontologist confirms through dental records that the remains found near the Twin Lakes boat ramp are those of Jessica Barnes. The Anderson County Coroner's Office officially identifies her. Her cause of death is determined to be asphyxiation by strangulation.
September 30 – October 2, 2024
All Three Arrested — All Confess — Bond Denied
Following 8 to 10 hour interviews in which all three confess to their involvement, Brandon Barnes is arrested on September 30 and charged with murder. Kendall Mims and Victoria Tippett are arrested on October 2 and charged with accessory after the fact, obstruction of justice, and misprision of a felony. On October 2 a judge denies bond for all three. Brandon faces a potential life sentence or the death penalty. All three are held at the Anderson County Detention Center. The infant child is placed in the custody of Brandon's family.
03
Investigation

The Investigation

The Pendleton Police Department, led by Chief Robert Crosby and Officer Steve Wescott, initially responded to a missing person report on September 10, 2024. Chief Crosby noted early on that the details surrounding Jessica's disappearance were vague, and that investigators quickly realized they had more than a routine missing person case when they noted the absence of any phone or social media trace from a 20-year-old woman. SLED was requested on September 16 and the investigation escalated rapidly.

A key investigative development was the discovery that Brandon Barnes had made multiple visits to the Twin Lakes area of Pickens County after Jessica went missing. A search of the wooded area near the Twin Lakes boat ramp on September 19 found what appeared to be human remains. A forensic anthropologist from Clemson University assisted in confirming the remains were human. A forensic odontologist confirmed the remains were Jessica's on October 1 through dental records.

Investigators conducted 8 to 10 hour interviews with all three suspects on October 1 and 2. All three confessed to their involvement. Brandon admitted to strangling Jessica after being advised of his Miranda rights. Tippett and Mims both admitted to helping dispose of the body. Surveillance footage from the Walmart where the tote was purchased, from the Laurel Drive property, and from other locations corroborated the confessions and documented the movement of Jessica's remains. Three of Jessica's teeth and part of her jawbone were found at the Twin Lakes site; additional remains were found in a five-gallon bucket at the Laurel Drive pool house.

A notable element of the investigation was the period during which Brandon Barnes gave public interviews during the search for Jessica. In late September 2024, he appeared in a video interview with Troy Styles of Blunt Force Media standing near a missing persons poster for his wife, stating he believed she would still come home. The interviews and his apparent cooperation with the public search effort were used by investigators in building the case against him.

If You or Someone You Know Is Experiencing Domestic Violence
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 | thehotline.org
National Dating Abuse Helpline: 1-866-331-9474 | Text "loveis" to 22522
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
04
Arrest & Charges

The Accused

Brandon Richard Barnes
Brandon Richard Barnes
Age 21 — Pendleton, South Carolina — Husband of Victim
Charge: Murder — first degree
Arrested: September 30, 2024
Bond: Denied — held without bond at Anderson County Detention Center
Confession: Admitted to strangling Jessica after being advised of Miranda rights
If Convicted: Potential life imprisonment or death penalty
Additional Context: Brandon was legally married to Kendall Mims at the time he married Jessica; the two had never divorced. He had an infant child with Mims who was living in the pool house at the time of the murder.
Status: Awaiting trial
Victoria Lee Tippett
Victoria Lee Tippett
Age 20 — Pendleton, South Carolina — Roommate; Present During Murder
Charges: Accessory after the fact to murder; obstruction of justice; misprision of a felony
Arrested: October 2, 2024
Bond: Denied twice; held at Anderson County Detention Center; also faces Pickens County charges related to disposal of remains
Role: Present at home during the murder; admitted to disposing of Jessica's body; gave investigators multiple contradictory accounts of Jessica's disappearance
Bond Hearing: Judge R. Lawton McIntosh found Tippett a flight risk and a continued danger to the community; November 2025 bond request denied
Status: Awaiting trial
Kendall Faith Mims
Kendall Faith Mims
Age 20 — Pendleton, South Carolina — Roommate; Brandon's First Wife
Charges: Accessory after the fact to murder; obstruction of justice; misprision of a felony
Arrested: October 2, 2024
Bond: Initially denied twice; subsequently granted bond with GPS monitoring and no contact with Jessica's family
Role: Was at work when the murder occurred; returned to find Jessica's body already in the tote; admitted to helping dispose of the body
Defense: Attorneys allege Mims was subjected to severe physical, sexual, and psychological abuse by Brandon Barnes, including strangulation; Brandon threatened to kill her child and grandfather if she tried to leave
Status: Released on bond — awaiting trial
In Memoriam

She Is Not Forgotten

Jessica Barnes was 20 years old. She wanted to be a teacher. She came from a Romanian family that loved her and that she stayed connected to through texts asking for prayer and encouragement because she wanted to be a devoted wife. She lost her job, left school, and grew more distant from her family during her relationship with Brandon Barnes. She suffered a stillbirth in March 2024. She was found to have been murdered on August 2, 2024.

For more than a month after she died, those responsible lived in the house, gave interviews about her disappearance, left the state on a road trip, and returned. Her mother carried her Bible to court. Her family released a statement saying they hoped Jessica's death would serve as a message to domestic violence victims everywhere to reach out for help. "She was strong, but piece by piece, her strength was stripped away."

Jessica Barnes is not forgotten.

"Jessica had ambition. She had dreams and her soul was a constant witness to others through her faith."
Troy Styles, family advocate — Bond Hearing, October 2024
Sources
FITSNews (multiple reports 2024–2025) | Fox Carolina WHNS (multiple reports 2024–2025) | Law and Crime | HuffPost | Court TV | Blunt Force Media | CBS News Texas | KBTX | Truthfully | Town of Pendleton Police Department Media Release
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