The body of a missing West Virginia teenager was found at the residence where her stepfather had been accused of mistreating her, two weeks prior to the discovery of her remains.
The 16-year-old, identified as Shalyn Harvey, was located on a property in Big Chimney, West Virginia, on May 15. The confirmation of the identity of the remains was provided by the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office on May 18.
Shortly after Harvey was reported missing, her stepfather, James Truman, 52, was arrested on unrelated charges of incest and sexual abuse by a parent or guardian. The teenager was reported missing on May 4, two days after she was last seen in the vicinity where her body was eventually found.
Law enforcement suspected that she had been picked up by a “blue Dodge Ram pickup truck from the early 2000s.” Following further investigation, authorities obtained a search warrant for a property in Big Chimney, where Shalyn had been residing with her mother and Truman.
A post-mortem examination has been conducted on Harvey’s body, with the cause of death yet to be disclosed. The case is being treated as a homicide, and court records indicate that Truman’s charges are related to an alleged incident around April 15.
Truman is currently detained at the Kanawha County Jail on a $100,000 cash bond. He has not been charged in connection with his stepdaughter’s death, but his case was transferred to the Kanawha County Circuit Court.
The recent police statement confirmed the discovery of the female human remains on the property during the search on May 15. The investigation into Harvey’s death is active and ongoing.
