PICKENS COUNTY — A Townville woman whose body was found at a public boat ramp over the weekend knew the man who shot her in the head, killing her, but authorities have not determined a clear connection between the two.
Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark announced during a press conference held Tuesday that Kasey Clayton Waldrop, 22, was taken into custody around 7 p.m. Monday by PCSO detectives at an apartment complex in the West Greenville area. Waldrop’s last known address was 220 Waverly Drive in Greenville.
The body of Reza Farah Kahn was found Sunday by two men who were at the Combined Utilities boat ramp on Saluda Lake to put their boat in so they could go fishing. They saw Kahn’s body and after checking to see if she was OK, called 911.
A witness statement places a single shot at approximately 3:30 a.m. Feb 21. It is believed Kahn was shot at the boat ramp.
Waldrop has been charged with murder, grand larceny and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. Waldrop has also been charged with possession of a weapon by a felon in Greenville County plus he was out on bond from Pickens County following a 2015 arrest for grand larceny. He was awaiting trial on that charge.
The bond hearing scheduled for Tuesday afternoon was waived by the Public Defender’s Office. Waldrop was transported back to Greenville County where he will remain in custody pending his release for Greenville charges.
Clark said they do not have a motive but the investigation is ongoing.
“We’re continuing to investigate the connection between the victim and Waldrop to determine what might have been the motive behind it,” Clark said Tuesday during a press conference. “There’s nothing so tragic as when a life is taken by some of the evil we see in the world today. Our thoughts, hopes and prayers are with the Kahn family.”
Detectives were at the apartment complex in Greenville following the discovery of Kahn’s vehicle, a 2014 Dodge Charger that had been spraypainted in an attempt to conceal it. Waldrop arrived while detectives were looking at the vehicle and fled on foot. He was caught a short time later.
“Evidence suggests Miss Kahn was driven to the boat ramp and then killed there with a .45 handgun,” Clark stated. “When Waldrop returned to the apartments where the victim’s vehicle had been located, a .45 handgun was in his possession and recovered. There is no threat to the community or family as the perpetrator in this case has been arrested with one to two others still under investigation and possible charges coming as the investigation continues.”
According to Clark, Kahn led a quiet life by all indications and was gainfully employed with four children. A connection between Waldrop and Kahn will take some time to determine, he said, adding the investigation will use cell phone records and social media to determine what connection there was.
Waldrop and Kahn “definitely knew one another” but “so far no clear connection” has been found, the sheriff said.
Clark stressed the work of PCSO’s detectives and the use of technology as the reasons an arrest was made within the first 48 hours.
“You may have heard before the folks in law enforcement are overworked and underpaid and this time it applies. A team of three detectives have worked this case since it began, staying up through the investigation to this point,” Clark said. “We also used a portable fingerprint scanner on the scene to ID the victim, which saved between six and eight hours and gave our investigators a head start, and the use of cell phone technology to track data, help in saving time. Technology takes great deal of training and we are ahead of the game versus a lot of places across the country.”
