Krystal Anderson went missing in August 2022, after which her DNA was allegedly found in the trunk of her boyfriend’s car
Authorities believe they may have found the body of a South Carolina mom, four years after she was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend.
In August 2022, Krystal Anderson went missing in Aiken County, S.C., leaving behind her four children.
“I try not to think the worst, but sometimes I do,” her sister Shadria Smothers told WRDW at the time, emphasizing that the 30-year-old would never leave her kids by choice. “She was a great mom, a great sister. She’s my baby sister. She’s always looked up to me and called me for everything when it came down to things that she wanted to do.”
“Even if she had issues, she would contact me,” she continued. “She would contact maybe her friends. Somebody always knew her whereabouts. She has never done anything like this before.”
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According to local outlet WACH, Anderson’s boyfriend, Tony Berry, was later arrested and charged with kidnapping and murder after her DNA was allegedly found in the trunk of his car, which was discovered burned in a wooded area in Newberry County.
“If you know anything, please, I’m begging on behalf of her children,” Smothers pleaded in August 2025, three years after her sister’s disappearance. “I know they say life is not fair, but it’s really unfair to a family that’s in the dark and is grieving over a loved one.”
More recently, Aiken County deputies reported that they found human remains buried off Highway 37 near Blackville, per WRDW. While DNA testing is still ongoing, officials believe the remains may belong to the missing mother.
“There were belongings found on those remains that were identical to Krystal’s belongings,” private investigator Chandra Cleveland told the outlet. “It was devastating … it’s just like the first day it happened when she went missing.”
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“Maybe now we can give her a final resting place, and her children will be able to deal with the fact that their mother is not coming back,” she added.
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While Berry’s trial was scheduled to take place next week for Anderson’s alleged kidnapping and murder, it has since been postponed due to the discovery of the remains, per The Augusta Press.
As of last year, Anderson’s kids have been living in separate homes with different family members.
“I think the hardest thing for them is being separated,” Smothers told WACH. “They do FaceTime each other a lot during the week, and they are able to talk to each other.”
“I can say for the youngest one I have, who’s 6, it’s hard for her because she went from being raised with siblings to being raised like an only child,” she added.
