Missing 15-year-old girl murdered in Richland County, suspect sought

Sanaa Amenhotep was last seen at her northeast Columbia residence last April from the Northost Columbia camp.

Missing 15-year-old girl murdered in Richland County, suspect sought

Richland Sheriff Leon Lott has announced that a missing 15-year-old girl has been found dead and deputies believe she was murdered. They arrested one suspect and are searching for another in the case.

Lott said Thursday morning that Sanaa Amenhotep’s body was discovered in Lexington County hours earlier.

It was found in a wooded area off Interstate 20 in the Batesborg Leesville region.

The 15-year-old was last seen when she left her residence in northern Columbia on April 5, and was missed by her mother.

According to Lott, Amenhotep likely left her home voluntarily with two male acquaintances, but things quickly changed and she was abducted by the couple and left lifeless.

Officers have arrested a teenager and charged him with kidnapping, but are looking for a suspect: they believe he was also involved in the abduction.

“We need him, he needs to be held accountable for what he did,” Lott said.

Most of the exams said they led to Lexington County, and Lott said the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department would be filing more charges in this case.