BLUFFTON, S.C. (WSAV) — The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) says that skeletal remains found in the Victoria Bluff Heritage Preserve area belonged to a missing 61-year-old woman.

Through dental records, Police were able to positively identify Brenda Kay Carman. The cause of death has been ruled a homicide.

Investigators named Brenda’s longtime boyfriend, Michael D. Wilson, as the sole person of interest in the investigation. However, on November 1, deputies were called to Wilson’s Indigo home that he had shared with Brenda for a suicide attempt. Despite best efforts by emergency services, Wilson was pronounced deceased at home.

Police originally recovered the remains on November 14.

Carman had been missing since August. Her brother had initially reported her missing after calls and messages by family and friends went unanswered.
 
Her vehicle, a 2013 Hyundai, was found on September 9, 2022, at Walmart on Pembroke Drive in Hilton Head.
 
Police launched an investigation into the area for Brenda including parts of Hilton Head Island and Bluffton as well as the Victoria Bluff Heritage Preserve where her remains were recovered.

BCSO worked with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the Beaufort County Coroners Office to collect the remains.