The husband of missing South Carolina woman Jessica Barnes has spoken out about her nearly two-month disappearance.
FITS News reports that Brandon Barnes, 21, spoke with Troy Styles of Blunt Force Media about his wife and why he did not report her missing. Barnes said he thought she had simply left and would return as usual.
When asked what he would say to his wife if he could, Barnes told Styles, “I would tell her how much I love her and that I wish I had never gone to work every day and ignored her.”
“I ignored her voice, told her she was fine when I knew she wasn’t,” Barnes added. “I was young and stupid. I was always focused on getting more money and more work.”
As previously reported by CrimeOnline, the Town of Pendleton Police Department stated that Jessica Barnes was last seen on August 1 in the Pendleton area. She was wearing flip-flops, an orange t-shirt, dark jeans, and carrying a black backpack at the time.
Barnes’ mother, Cecilia Varvara, requested a wellness check after she could not reach her daughter, and her husband stopped responding to messages.
Pendleton Police Chief Robert Crosby told WYFF that there were issues in the Barnes’ marriage, although Brandon Barnes is not currently considered a suspect.
“There were some problems between her and her husband. They were having typical marital disputes, argumentative, and then she just left,” Crosby said.
The family has alleged physical abuse in the marriage, which has raised concerns about Jessica Barnes’ disappearance,
However, no reports of abuse have been filed with law enforcement, and no charges have been brought in connection with these allegations.
CrimeOnline also reported, via FITS News, that Katherine Gomm, who shares two children with Brandon Barnes, said she left him in 2022 after he allegedly assaulted her in Maine.
Gomm claimed that Barnes cut her off from her family by breaking her phone and blocking her relatives and friends on social media. She also accused him of confining her inside their residence. Gomm further alleged that Barnes assaulted her while she was pregnant, accusing her of “eating too much.”
She provided a copy of a protection order she obtained against him to FITS News.
An update from our @IndyJenn_ on the case of #JessicaBarnes, the 20-year-old South Carolina woman who has been missing for 58 days. This story, sadly, grows more ominous by the day… #MissingPersons #SCMissingPersons https://t.co/nALosRDcBn
— FITSNews (@fitsnews) September 27, 2024
At this time, Brandon Barnes has not been named as a suspect in his wife’s disappearance.
Police searched the home where Jessica and her husband reside, at 102 Laurel Drive in Pendleton, on September 20. The previous day, a wooded area near a boat ramp, about four miles from the home, was also searched after a vehicle commonly driven by Barnes was tracked to the area, according to CrimeOnline.
The Pendleton Police Department and agents from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) are reportedly collaborating on the investigation.
Anyone with information on Jessica Barnes’ whereabouts 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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[Featured image: Jessica Barnes/Handout]
