Large Pond Being Drained as Search for Remains Continues

Efforts continue in the search to find the remains of a Burke County man who has been missing for six years.

Sixty-three-year-old Simon Powell's truck was found the day after he disappeared in 2016, but his body has never been found.

Investigators got a break in the case a few weeks ago with the arrest of Stacey Welch.  She was charged with Powell's murder, robbery and kidnapping,  followed by the arrest last week of Mitchell Lambert on the same charges.  A third person, Crystal Gail Mundy Simmons is still being sought.  Simmons is white, 43 years old, 5"9 and weighs 150 pounds.  She is believed to have connections in the Grovetown/Columbia County area as well as in Alabama.

Information provided by Welch led officials to search for Powell's remains in a pond off Ponderosa Road last week.  The search turned up nothing.  Now officials are nearly finished draining a large pond in an undisclosed area.  A portion of the dry area is in the process of being sifted for evidence.  Officials expect the draining process to take another two days.

The Burke County Sheriff's Office says every effort is being made to bring closure to the case.