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The husband of 20-year old Jessica Barnes – a South Carolina woman who has been missing for nearly two months – gave an interview to a Palmetto State media outlet earlier this week amid growing concerns over her safety.
Brandon Barnes, 21, of Pendleton, S.C. spoke with Troy Styles of Blunt Force Media this week about his wife – who has not been seen or heard from since August 1, 2024. In recent weeks, family members have begun to express extreme concern for Jessica’s safety amid allegations of physical abuse involving her husband.
While no alleged assaults involving Brandon Barnes and his current wife have been reported to police, Barnes’ ex-girlfriend spoke with this news outlet last week – disclosing chilling details regarding the status of their relationship.
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RELATED | JESSICA BARNES SEARCH CONTINUES
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In an attempt to clear up rumors and refute speculation swirling around Pendleton -a small Upstate town of 3,700 people in Anderson County – Barnes offered an explanation as to why he didn’t report his wife missing when she first disappeared.
According to the young husband, he believed Jessica would return – as she has often done in the past.
When asked what he would say if he could share a message with his wife, Barnes said, “I would tell her how much I love her and I wish I never went to work everyday and ignored her.”
“I ignored her voice, told her she was fine when I knew she wasn’t,” he told Styles. “I was young and stupid. I was always focused on getting more money and more work.”
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Barnes proceeded to show Styles a copy of a letter Jessica had written him on July 4, 2024 — the couple’s one year anniversary. According to Barnes, he wasn’t supposed to find the letter for ten years, but he discovered it sometime after her disappearance in a Bible she had left behind.
In the letter, Jessica addressed the loss of their stillborn child in March – and discussed their relationship. The closing of the letter gives some insight into the issues the couple had been having in the month before her disappearance, but shows she still had hope for their future.
“Today has been hard because it’s our one-year anniversary, and it’s already 3:18 p.m., and I’ve only gotten to see you for a few minutes,” she wrote. “One day, you’ll see that I appreciate small, heartfelt things, but for now, I put up with the heavy burdens you carry, like working and taking Kendall with you, even though she admitted she treats you poorly on purpose. I’m extremely mad today, but you know that, and you’re still putting up with me.”
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While police have not named Brandon Barnes as a suspect in his wife’s disappearance, recent law enforcement activity has focused around the small pool house the couple shared with two other women.
Last Friday (September 20, 2024), the pool house – located at 102 Laurel Drive in Pendleton, S.C. — was searched. Additionally, local television station WYFF TV-4 (NBC – Greenville-Spartanburg) reported reported law enforcement officers also searched a wooded area near the Twin Lakes Boat Ramp, where a vehicle Jessica drove was pinged. The boat ramp is located approximately four miles west of the Laurel Drive home.
The investigation into the disappearance of Jessica Barnes — who has now been missing for 58 days — is being led by the Pendleton police department. The S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) confirmed they were requested to assisting with the investigation. In a statement to this media outlet earlier this week, SLED public information director Renée Wunderlich said the agency’s investigation is “active and ongoing.”
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Jessica Barnes is encouraged to contact Robert Crosby at 864-646-9409 or via email at robertc@townofpendleton.org. Tips may also be submitted to SLED at tips@sled.sc.gov.
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THE FLYER…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
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1 comment
I won’t make any leaps in thought about this young man or his missing wife, but I will say the letter reminds me of a letter I wrote on a special occasion early in my marriage. I’m not implying it’s the same situation here, but when you learn you are living with someone who is not stable AFTER you are married, you go to great lengths to convince yourself everything is fine. Also, if the person you’re with is volatile, you take the blame for everything and go to great lengths trying to build them up and keep them happy as a matter of survival.
It’s interesting that when asked what message he would send to his wife, Brandon Barnes didn’t ask her to come home.