Quadruple murder suspect found after week on the run ‘living in woods’

‘We had confidence that he was in our bubble and he was. He was in our bubble the whole time,’ Sheriff says of murder suspect

Tyler Terry is offered water during his arrest in South Carolina on Monday, May 24, 2021. (Chester County Sheriff's Office via AP)

A suspect wanted for at least four murders was found while hiding in the woods in South Carolina after being on the run for a week.

Tyler Terry, 26, went on the run last Monday, 17 May. He was taken into custody on 24 May following a manhunt lasting seven days. Law enforcement said Mr Terry’s ability to evade capture was due to his homelessness and willingness to stay in the woods for prolonged periods of time, according to WBTV.

Accused of multiple murders, Mr Terry is under suspicion for at least two killings in South Carolina and another two in St Louis, Missouri.

The wife of victim Eugene Simpson, Adrienne Simpson, is also in custody in connection to the murders.

Fox 2 Now reported that Ms Simpson was Mr Terry’s girlfriend.

When Mr Terry arrived at the Chester County command centre in northern South Carolina, he was covered in bug bites and his clothes were torn. He was dehydrated and exhausted following his Monday arrest.

He will now be quarantined at the Chester County jail, and will be charged in South Carolina first. Investigators say the manhunt started after Mr Terry discharged his weapon at Chester County deputies.

Law enforcement pulled people and resources from 15 cities, towns, agencies, and counties to work day and night to find the suspect. Around 300 people took part in the manhunt, WBTV reported.

The criminal investigation that was set aside to focus on Mr Terry’s capture will now take centre stage. WBTV reported that Mr Terry was taken to hospital after being examined by emergency personnel.

Chester County Sheriff Max Dorsey told Fox 2 Now after the capture: “He spoke very well. You know, obviously, he was tired and thirsty and I spoke to him and asked if he was OK and he was all cut up, he has bug bites, his clothes are torn. He’s exhausted.”

Sheriff Dorsey said hundreds of officers camped out for days without seeing their families in the area where Mr Terry was captured.

“Think about these cops who put in so much for people they don’t even know,” he said.

Law enforcement knew that Mr Terry was armed because days before his arrest, he’d been spotted on surveillance video taking a loaded gun from a vehicle.

“He was homeless at some periods of his life. At certain periods, he would live in the woods,” up to a month at a time, Sheriff Dorsey told Fox 2 Now.

The outlet reported that Mr Terry, along with Ms Simpson, allegedly murdered trans woman Thomas Hardin, who once had a relationship with Mr Terry, on 2 May.

The two suspects reportedly drove to St Louis on 15 May, where Barbara Goodkin and Dr Sergei Zacharev were murdered.

South Carolina authorities found the body of Ms Simpon’s husband Eugene Simpson on 20 May. Mr Simpson is also thought to have been killed by Mr Terry.

Police believed they had Mr Terry surrounded by 23 May and warned residents in the nearby area via Twitter to “secure firearms, lock your doors” and “report suspicious activity around any trash can or barn”.

“We had confidence that he was in our bubble and he was. He was in our bubble the whole time,” Sheriff Dorsey said.

St Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell has announced 14 criminal charges against Mr Terry and Ms Simpson.

Mr Bell said Barbara Goodkin’s husband was also shot on 15 May but survived because of his cellphone in his chest pocket.

The prosecutor also told Fox 2 Now that Mr Terry allegedly also fired 10 shots at a fellow driver on an interstate, hitting the car three times but without causing injury to the driver.

Mr Bell said the charges in South Carolina are so serious that it’s unlikely that the suspects will be extradited to Missouri in the near future, if at all.