Missing South Carolina woman walked out of home after argument, mom receives strange text: report

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Donnel "Tupac" Tolliver, 15, was located and rescued by the Aurora Police Department after he went missing. (Aurora Police Department / X)

South Carolina authorities are searching for a missing 20-year-old woman from Pendleton, a small town just 10 minutes from Clemson, who was last seen in early August.

Pendleton police say Jessica Barnes was last seen leaving home on Aug. 1, and they are asking for help trying to find her.

On Facebook, a man claiming to be Barnes’ husband — who has not been named as a suspect in the case — commented on the Pendleton Police Department’s missing persons flyer for Barnes.

“If anyone sees my wife let me or the police now i have been so numb lately [sic],” the man wrote on Facebook. “[I] thought she would of said something or came back home i trying to trust in god but it’s really hard when it’s gotten this serious we lost are son couple months ago and know my wife goes missing i really trying to trust god i pray she safe [sic].”

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Jessica Barnes has been missing from Pendleton, South Carolina, since Aug. 1.  (Pendleton Police Department)

Pendleton Police Department Chief Robert Crosby told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that Barnes’ mother was the first person to report her missing on Sept. 10.

Barnes lived with her husband, and the pair had two 20-year-old female roommates in the same residence, Crosby said.

“They’re all friends,” Crosby explained.

Barnes’ husband could not immediately be reached for comment.

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Barnes lived with her husband, and the pair had two 20-year-old female roommates in the same residence, Crosby said. (Pendleton Police Department)

On the day Barnes left home, she and her husband “were having your typical young, married couple disagreements,” the police chief said. 

Barnes’ mother, Cecilia Varvara, told WYFF 4 that she received a message from Barnes’ phone on Sept. 10 that did not sound like her daughter.

Now, detectives are working to investigate where Barnes went after walking away from her house that day. Highway 28 runs through the town, so it’s not unusual for people to catch buses or hitch a ride out of town, Crosby explained.

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“We’re looking into everything. We’re looking into any possibilities via her social media or anything like that — if she got a ride, if she flagged someone down and got a ride,” he said. “We do know that she did not leave the country. … We’re just continuing to look for any clues to where she had gone on foot.”

Barnes’ mother reported her missing to police on Sept. 10. (Pendleton Police Department)

Pendleton police have searched Barnes’ residence and vehicles at that residence, as well as the Twin Lakes campground near Lake Hartwell, several miles from her home, where she and her husband went camping and had bonfires, according to Crosby.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is assisting with the investigation into Barnes’ disappearance.

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Police say Barnes was last seen wearing an orange T-shirt, dark jean shorts, flip-flops and a black backpack.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about Barnes to contact Crosby at 864-646-9409 or robert@townofpendleton.org.

Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. Email tips to audrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants.