In the summer of 2023, the disappearance of 39-year-old John Thomas Belote from Graniteville, South Carolina, set in motion a grim investigation that would uncover a brutal murder. The last time his daughter spoke to him was on June 28, when he told her he had been in an argument with Donald Britton, the father of his ex-girlfriend. Belote had expressed his intention to confront Britton and was never heard from again.
Two days later, his daughter officially reported him missing to the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.
The search for Belote took a dark turn on July 14, when investigators, acting on a tip, discovered human remains buried in a shallow grave in a wooded area on Wendy Lane, near Windsor. The scene was disturbing; the body had been moved from a primary burial site on Windsor Road. During this gruesome relocation, the remains were torn into two pieces. It was later revealed that the body had also been burned. On July 22, the Aiken County Coroner's Office confirmed through DNA testing that the victim was indeed John Thomas Belote. An autopsy determined his cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation quickly led to several arrests. Donald Britton, Thomas Guinn, and Cody Wooten were initially charged in connection with the desecration and removal of human remains. The narrative that emerged suggested a motive rooted in past domestic turmoil; Belote had a history of abusing Britton's daughter, which had led to previous arrests. As the investigation progressed, the charges were upgraded. Britton and Wooten faced charges of accessory after the fact to murder. Thomas Guinn and another man, Michael Dewayne Williams Jr., were identified as the primary suspects in the killing, with warrants issued for their arrest on charges of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. A fourth individual, Suzanne Boozer, was also arrested and charged with accessory after the fact, accused of helping the others move Belote's body.
In a strange twist, Cody Wooten, one of the men charged with accessory, was found dead in a Windsor home in August 2023, shortly after being released on bond. His father stated that his son was a drug user who was terrified of going to prison and claimed he was only present to hold a flashlight while others moved the body. While his official cause of death was pending an autopsy, his father suspected he may have been poisoned. The investigation into the murder of John Belote continued, with law enforcement still seeking Michael Dewayne Williams Jr.
