Ga. Man Charged with Murder, Kidnapping After Authorities Find Missing Mother's Bloodied Car in Pond

Deidre Reid's relatives reported her missing on Sept. 3, 2021

Deidre Reid
Deidre Reid. Photo: Deidre Reid Facebook

A grand jury in South Carolina has indicted a 29-year-old man for kidnapping and murdering Deidre Reid, a 41-year-old mother who hasn't been seen in over six months but is presumed dead by investigators.

Authorities had already charged Emanuel Bedford with grand larceny and obstruction of justice for his alleged role in Reid's disappearance.

However, on Thursday, grand jurors returned an indictment against the Georgia man for the more serious offenses of murder and kidnapping.

Bedford will appear in court for arraignment on April 4, when it is likely he'll be asked to enter pleas to the charges.

Reid's relatives first reported her missing from Pageland, S.C., on Sept. 3, 2021. The last time anyone heard from her was when she had called a family member while driving Bedford to the bus station in Charlotte.

Emanuel Bedford was extradited from Georgia back to Pageland
Emanuel Bedford. Chesterfield County Detention Center

Bedford, the father of Reid's youngest child, was heading back to his home in Augusta, Georgia at the time.

But authorities allege there's no evidence he ever boarded a bus that day.

On Sept. 5, 2021, investigators located Reid's gray 2004 Chevy Tahoe partially submerged in a pond just 11 miles from Bedford's home in Augusta, more than 130 miles away from Pageland.

The car's passenger seat was covered in blood.

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Authorities allegedly recovered a portion of the Tahoe's bumper from land Bedford's family owns in Georgia's Burke County.

Bedford was arrested last October after police formally named him a person of interest in Reid's disappearance.

Searches for Reid have thus far turned up no sign of the mother-of-three.

James Reid, Deidre's brother, told WSOC-TV he continues to pray that Bedford does the right thing and reveals where her body is so that the family can give her a proper burial.

A GoFundMe campaign has been established online to support Reid's children as they recover from her loss.

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