CHESNEE, SC – A 21-year-old man has been charged with murder after investigators recovered the remains of a missing man who disappeared nearly three years ago, officials said Saturday.
John Lucas Dale Rice was taken into custody on Friday and is being held without bond as authorities allege his connection to the death of Kevin Brookshire, a 45-year-old who vanished in December 2021 from Chesnee, a small town near the South Carolina–North Carolina border.
Brookshire was last seen on December 15, 2021, as he prepared to drive his red 2001 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck from Chesnee to Sevier County, Tennessee, some 160 miles away. He never arrived, prompting concern from family members and a lengthy search effort that yielded few answers in the months that followed.
The case took an unexpected turn in May 2022 when Brookshire’s abandoned truck was involved in a crash. Despite the development, law enforcement said there was no indication that Brookshire himself had been driving the vehicle at the time.
For more than a year, the investigation stalled, leaving Brookshire’s disappearance a mystery. That changed in August, according to authorities, when a tipster provided critical information that pointed investigators back to Chesnee. The individual reported that Rice had shown them a body hidden in a trash can at a local residence, sparking renewed interest in the case.
Detectives from the Spartanburg and Cherokee County sheriff’s offices began interviewing witnesses and piecing together the chain of events. What they discovered was chilling: Brookshire’s remains had been distributed across multiple locations, officials said.
Investigators searched the reported property, where they uncovered human remains. The county coroner later confirmed the remains belonged to Brookshire, using x-rays and dental records to secure the identification.
During questioning, investigators allege Rice confessed to Brookshire’s killing. Despite this, officials have not disclosed how Brookshire died or what may have motivated the killing, citing the ongoing investigation.
Rice is now being held in the Cherokee County Detention Center. Authorities have not provided details regarding potential additional suspects or further arrests. The investigation remains open as law enforcement continues collecting evidence and building the case.
Family and friends of Brookshire are left searching for answers, as the community comes to terms with the grim resolution to the long-standing disappearance.