Unexpected twist in missing girl’s case, 5, with father arrested after mother found in ‘advanced state of decomposition’

A LITTLE girl was found safe weeks after her mother was found dead in her home on Thanksgiving Day.

Five-year-old Aspen Jeter was found with her father, Antar Jeter, 46, in a hospital parking lot where the man was arrested by police on Friday.

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Authorities were led to Jeter’s whereabouts due to his financial dealings and little Aspen was rescued.

Jeter was arrested in connection with the death of Aspen’s mother, Crystal Jumper, and Virginia court records show he had a hearing Monday morning.

Aspen’s uncle, Pauley Jumper, is working with the Virginia Department of Social Services to secure her return.

She had been missing for nearly two weeks after Orangeburg County lawmakers made the grim discovery at the South Carolina home.

“This pretty girl is back and safe. She’s safe,” Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said in a news conference on Friday.

Ravenell said Aspen’s father, Jeter, was wanted for questions about allegedly stealing Crystal Jumper’s car — a blue 2015 Mazda.

Arrest warrants state that Jeter shot and killed 46-year-old Jumper on November 1, but her body was not discovered until November 28 after a cousin reported that they had not heard from Jumper in weeks.

“It was a couple of transactions that we’ve been following since the beginning of this case. A number of transactions were completed yesterday at two locations in Danville, Virginia. This information from the transactions has a lag of 8 to 12 hours,” Ravenell said.

“We received this information today and we had the Danville Police Department. Marshall’s task force in this area. They started checking the area and they spotted the same vehicle that we checked here. The Mazda.”

A neighbor told WIS that he last spoke to Jeter on Nov. 2 when he stopped by to ask for money.

The exchange was captured on doorbell footage.

Ravenell said the investigation is still ongoing and Jeter is scheduled to appear in court again on Tuesday.

THE TERROR OF THE FAMILY

A neighbor, Antwain Pough, who lives just a few doors down from the home where police found the mother, witnessed part of the scene Thursday night.

“My wife said, ‘There’s a door open,’ and as soon as she said we saw some MPs roll through, we saw about four, five more roll through,” Pough said.

“It’s kind of unusual to see a lot of people coming through on this road.”

Pough said he was concerned for the safety of his family in what is usually a quiet area.

“Since I have a young daughter, she’s 16, stay in this neighborhood, anyone or anything might be walking around in the neighborhood,” he said.

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