Missing Holly Hill man’s remains are discovered
By THOMAS BROWN, T&D Staff Writer Friday, June 16, 2006HOLLY HILL – The body of a man missing since Mother’s Day was discovered Thursday on Georgia Pacific property in Holly Hill.
Orangeburg County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched at about 10:30 a.m. Thursday to 1792 Gardners Boulevard in Holly Hill in reference to the remains of a man being discovered inside a secure transformer area on the property of Georgia Pacific.
The man was later identified as Rufus Orlando McMillian, 44, of 940 Whitesands Rd., Holly Hill.
The body was discovered on an area of the Georgia Pacific plant that has not been used for several years. The location was at one time a sawmill, according to a local citizen on the scene during the initial investigation.
McMillian was reported missing by concerned relatives on May 15, 2006. His mother, Virginia McMillian, said she last saw him on Mother’s Day walking out the back door of their residence. She said it was unusual for her son not to contact her for more than a day.
McMillian’s family had no leads to his disappearance and were mired in the limbo of not knowing what happened to him until they were contacted Thursday after authorities determined that the body was, in fact, his.
The cause of McMillian’s death has not been determined and is pending autopsy results, but foul play has been ruled out, authorities said in a release from the OCSO. The Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the death.
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