CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A North Carolina man is in custody in connection to a Kanawha County murder.
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday that Harold Ishameul Patterson, 27, of Laurinburg, North Carolina, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder for the death of a man in the Cabin Creek area of Kanawha County.
Patterson is being held in the Scotland County Detention Center in North Carolina, pending extradition back to West Virginia.
Chief Deputy Sean Snuffer said the victim’s body was discovered mid-Sunday morning near a burning vehicle in the 300 block of Cabin Creek Road. The human remains were sent to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and autopsy results Monday indicated to authorities that it was a homicide.
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office worked quickly in the investigation, and in concert with many partners. Snuffer said the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office, Laurinburg Police Department, West Virginia Fire Marshal’s Office, West Virginia Fusion Center, and even the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office all assisted in the investigation.
Chief Deputy Sean Snuffer and Sheriff Joe Crawford provided the update Wednesday during a news conference in downtown Charleston.
“The sheriff and I would like to commend the outstanding work of our Detective Bureau and Patrol Division,” Snuffer said. “Their dedication and tireless efforts were instrumental in rapidly developing information that led to the arrest of Harold Patterson. They continued nonstop since this started, and that’s what led them to where they are, and they continue to do so. They’ve worked all night last night (and) continued into today.”
Crawford said anonymous tips to the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office helped the homicide investigation, accelerating the timeline.
“We appreciate the tips that we have received,” Crawford said. “It was very beneficial to our investigation. So, this just goes to show you that 48-hour golden rule, what we call 48 hours, we were on our way to North Carolina.”
Crawford said sheriff’s deputies have been in North Carolina for the past two days.
Meanwhile, the identity of the victim has not yet been positively identified, Snuffer said. He added that authorities believe they have identified the owner of the burning vehicle — who may be the victim.
Snuffer said Patterson knew the person who authorities believe to be the victim.
“They are known to each other, and we’ll just leave it at that,” Snuffer said. “As far as our investigative techniques, we can’t go into that because that’s a bunch of evidence. Detectives have been reviewing videos, they’ve executed search warrants, not only here (in Kanawha County) but in North Carolina.”
“And in Putnam County as well,” Crawford added.
Snuffer noted the extradition timeline for Patterson is uncertain. He said extradition typically takes 20 days, but this case depends on whether Patterson waives or fights his extradition to the Mountain State.
Anyone with information related to the case are encouraged to contact the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau at 304-357-0556 or leave a tip online at www.kanawhasheriff.us.