Identified! Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - Pamela Buckley & James P Freund #8

[Susikatze]

That's true about the heeled sandals, but some are very comfortable and since Pamela was in some beauty competitions and was a performer, she may have been more used to wearing heeled shoes than most of us. I may be wrong though.

Yes. My grandma in the 1960s gave her fashionable high heeled, pointy shoes to a friend living in the Alps who is a fairly hands on woman (built her own house, grew her own veggies and fruit etc). She said thank you and went hiking and mushroom picking wearing them. My urban granny was flabbergasted.

 

[onceuponadecember]

Firstly, I'm so happy I am not the only person who felt drawn to these people and their story. I felt a bit silly, but this story is really hard on the heart.

I went on ancestry to see if the two had siblings or living parents. It seems James may have had it pretty rough. His parents married in 1948, so his dad may not have been his biological father. In 1966, his dad, Adam Freund, suddenly died of a heart attack. According to the obituary for Adam Freund, James' mother appears to have been married before to a Coates (maiden name is Brandenburg). In the span of 1966-1976, his mother lost a brother, a husband, a father, and a son. She had married a younger man after being widowed, ended up in California, and was divorced by 1976. With James divorced and having no siblings, it all seems so sad, like he didn't have a place to call home. It's also so sad that this case was solvable because it was, in essence, solved by WS before the announcement. It's heartbreaking that his mother passed relatively recently without knowing or that his daughter never knew what happened as she was growing up.

Who knows...maybe he wasn't even involved in his daughter's life much. Maybe he wasn't even in touch with his own mother. I know people like that. Maybe he and Pam made up a backstory because they were involved in something illegal. Thirty seems like a strange age to go off on a hitchhiking adventure. I just know that I would like to know more about their story. I'm just so genuinely heartbroken that two young, beautiful people experienced such horrific last moments.

Does anyone know more about the driver who had the gun? Is he still alive? It's not likely that he possessed a gun with scratched-off serial numbers that happened to have murder two people very recently and didn't have something to do with it. Is there speculation his brother was involved? There is so much information, and I only just heard about the case last year.

James had a child?

 

[onceuponadecember]

Firstly, I'm so happy I am not the only person who felt drawn to these people and their story. I felt a bit silly, but this story is really hard on the heart.

I went on ancestry to see if the two had siblings or living parents. It seems James may have had it pretty rough. His parents married in 1948, so his dad may not have been his biological father. In 1966, his dad, Adam Freund, suddenly died of a heart attack. According to the obituary for Adam Freund, James' mother appears to have been married before to a Coates (maiden name is Brandenburg). In the span of 1966-1976, his mother lost a brother, a husband, a father, and a son. She had married a younger man after being widowed, ended up in California, and was divorced by 1976. With James divorced and having no siblings, it all seems so sad, like he didn't have a place to call home. It's also so sad that this case was solvable because it was, in essence, solved by WS before the announcement. It's heartbreaking that his mother passed relatively recently without knowing or that his daughter never knew what happened as she was growing up.

Who knows...maybe he wasn't even involved in his daughter's life much. Maybe he wasn't even in touch with his own mother. I know people like that. Maybe he and Pam made up a backstory because they were involved in something illegal. Thirty seems like a strange age to go off on a hitchhiking adventure. I just know that I would like to know more about their story. I'm just so genuinely heartbroken that two young, beautiful people experienced such horrific last moments.

Does anyone know more about the driver who had the gun? Is he still alive? It's not likely that he possessed a gun with scratched-off serial numbers that happened to have murder two people very recently and didn't have something to do with it. Is there speculation his brother was involved? There is so much information, and I only just heard about the case last year.

Freund was his bio father, it’s on the birth log.

 

[wary]

I’ve got a theory about James. Firstly, let me list my facts before I dive into the theory

1. There is a photograph of James with his fellow baseball team members on Ancestry
2. James’s autopsy suggested he played contact sports (Baseball)
3. James was a US Army Private who had served in Germany

My theory is that James had an undiagnosed neurological disease and/or mental illness. I sustain this with the fact that many sports players getting constant blows to the head are more likely to develop brain damage. Another thing adding to this is possible exposure to explosives or explosive devices while in Germany.
Mental illness and neurological disorders/diseases are not uncommon in these types of people. This may also explain why James’s ex-wife divorced him on the grounds of indignities.

Points that confuse me:
1: Is baseball a contact sport that causes scarred shoulders?

2: I thought he filed for the divorce.

 

[Gameman]

I’ve got a theory about James. Firstly, let me list my facts before I dive into the theory

1. There is a photograph of James with his fellow baseball team members on Ancestry
2. James’s autopsy suggested he played contact sports (Baseball)
3. James was a US Army Private who had served in Germany

My theory is that James had an undiagnosed neurological disease and/or mental illness. I sustain this with the fact that many sports players getting constant blows to the head are more likely to develop brain damage. Another thing adding to this is possible exposure to explosives or explosive devices while in Germany.
Mental illness and neurological disorders/diseases are not uncommon in these types of people. This may also explain why James’s ex-wife divorced him on the grounds of indignities.

If James was in the military sometime between 1964 and 1970ish, being in Germany would have been peaceful, right? That is assuming he didn't serve in Vietnam at some point.
Also, I could not see the divorce article. From the comments on here, I got the impression that he filed the divorce against her. Could someone clear that up for me?

I do wonder what he was like and what brought them to that point in their lives even before the murders.

 

[onceuponadecember]

Points that confuse me:
1: Is baseball a contact sport that causes scarred shoulders?

2: I thought he filed for the divorce.

I’m not a sports export, but I don’t think helmets were as protective in baseball as they are now. It doesn’t say who filed it, but I’m gonna guess the wife did, as the grounds of indignity point towards James.

 

[onceuponadecember]

If James was in the military sometime between 1964 and 1970ish, being in Germany would have been peaceful, right? That is assuming he didn't serve in Vietnam at some point.
Also, I could not see the divorce article. From the comments on here, I got the impression that he filed the divorce against her. Could someone clear that up for me?

I do wonder what he was like and what brought them to that point in their lives even before the murders.

Here’s the divorce clipping:

 

[onceuponadecember]

Firstly, I'm so happy I am not the only person who felt drawn to these people and their story. I felt a bit silly, but this story is really hard on the heart.

I went on ancestry to see if the two had siblings or living parents. It seems James may have had it pretty rough. His parents married in 1948, so his dad may not have been his biological father. In 1966, his dad, Adam Freund, suddenly died of a heart attack. According to the obituary for Adam Freund, James' mother appears to have been married before to a Coates (maiden name is Brandenburg). In the span of 1966-1976, his mother lost a brother, a husband, a father, and a son. She had married a younger man after being widowed, ended up in California, and was divorced by 1976. With James divorced and having no siblings, it all seems so sad, like he didn't have a place to call home. It's also so sad that this case was solvable because it was, in essence, solved by WS before the announcement. It's heartbreaking that his mother passed relatively recently without knowing or that his daughter never knew what happened as she was growing up.

Who knows...maybe he wasn't even involved in his daughter's life much. Maybe he wasn't even in touch with his own mother. I know people like that. Maybe he and Pam made up a backstory because they were involved in something illegal. Thirty seems like a strange age to go off on a hitchhiking adventure. I just know that I would like to know more about their story. I'm just so genuinely heartbroken that two young, beautiful people experienced such horrific last moments.

Does anyone know more about the driver who had the gun? Is he still alive? It's not likely that he possessed a gun with scratched-off serial numbers that happened to have murder two people very recently and didn't have something to do with it. Is there speculation his brother was involved? There is so much information, and I only just heard about the case last year.

Also I’m sorry to ask you this again, but could you clarify if James had a child or not please?

 

[Gameman]

Yes, a daughter. Someone posted it in this thread a few pages back. I'll send you a private message.

I think the divorce clipping confirms that he filed against her. Someone on the thread earlier had him listed as the complaining party.

 

[wary]

Firstly, I'm so happy I am not the only person who felt drawn to these people and their story. I felt a bit silly, but this story is really hard on the heart.

I went on ancestry to see if the two had siblings or living parents. It seems James may have had it pretty rough. His parents married in 1948, so his dad may not have been his biological father. In 1966, his dad, Adam Freund, suddenly died of a heart attack. According to the obituary for Adam Freund, James' mother appears to have been married before to a Coates (maiden name is Brandenburg). In the span of 1966-1976, his mother lost a brother, a husband, a father, and a son. She had married a younger man after being widowed, ended up in California, and was divorced by 1976. With James divorced and having no siblings, it all seems so sad, like he didn't have a place to call home. It's also so sad that this case was solvable because it was, in essence, solved by WS before the announcement. It's heartbreaking that his mother passed relatively recently without knowing or that his daughter never knew what happened as she was growing up.

Who knows...maybe he wasn't even involved in his daughter's life much. Maybe he wasn't even in touch with his own mother. I know people like that. Maybe he and Pam made up a backstory because they were involved in something illegal. Thirty seems like a strange age to go off on a hitchhiking adventure. I just know that I would like to know more about their story. I'm just so genuinely heartbroken that two young, beautiful people experienced such horrific last moments.

Does anyone know more about the driver who had the gun? Is he still alive? It's not likely that he possessed a gun with scratched-off serial numbers that happened to have murder two people very recently and didn't have something to do with it. Is there speculation his brother was involved? There is so much information, and I only just heard about the case last year.

The driver who had the gun died in 1982. I agree that they should take a careful look at all his friends and family, even if it’s 44 years too late.

But I can’t see how this case was solved by WS at all. The DNA Doe people, working with LE, solved it in September. It’d be like saying that the USSR won the war in the Pacific by declaring war on Japan a few days after the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

I’m not meaning to criticize anyone at WS.

 

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

their gear and other clothing - along with their identification/wallet/purse etc

Killer took those things. Anything that could've been used to identify them was likely destroyed.

 

[Susikatze]

Again, back in the days, people often went "soul searching" after personal crisises. Both were in seperation or divorce and probably both felt stuck in their towns and daily routines. James had an ex wife who had custody of the child and Pam.. probably her band had split up and on top of that she was separating from her husband (who was also a musician, but unrelated to sunlending). She was 25 and probably got some pressure to finally settle down and go to college (even though it seems her mom is a fairly free spirit).

So both called it quits and went for a trip across the USA. Maybe theyve met before, maybe only on the trip. But they had fairly similar life experiences, came from "better" middle class homes and were of a similar age. Maybe they dated, maybe not, maybe just casual. In any case they wanted to be free.
I agree they likely had some equipment, some vehicle and regular access to showers. Which makes the carjacking/armed robbery angle more plausible.

Firstly, I'm so happy I am not the only person who felt drawn to these people and their story. I felt a bit silly, but this story is really hard on the heart.

I went on ancestry to see if the two had siblings or living parents. It seems James may have had it pretty rough. His parents married in 1948, so his dad may not have been his biological father. In 1966, his dad, Adam Freund, suddenly died of a heart attack. According to the obituary for Adam Freund, James' mother appears to have been married before to a Coates (maiden name is Brandenburg). In the span of 1966-1976, his mother lost a brother, a husband, a father, and a son. She had married a younger man after being widowed, ended up in California, and was divorced by 1976. With James divorced and having no siblings, it all seems so sad, like he didn't have a place to call home. It's also so sad that this case was solvable because it was, in essence, solved by WS before the announcement. It's heartbreaking that his mother passed relatively recently without knowing or that his daughter never knew what happened as she was growing up.

Who knows...maybe he wasn't even involved in his daughter's life much. Maybe he wasn't even in touch with his own mother. I know people like that. Maybe he and Pam made up a backstory because they were involved in something illegal. Thirty seems like a strange age to go off on a hitchhiking adventure. I just know that I would like to know more about their story. I'm just so genuinely heartbroken that two young, beautiful people experienced such horrific last moments.

Does anyone know more about the driver who had the gun? Is he still alive? It's not likely that he possessed a gun with scratched-off serial numbers that happened to have murder two people very recently and didn't have something to do with it. Is there speculation his brother was involved? There is so much information, and I only just heard about the case last year.

 

[Gameman]

The driver who had the gun died in 1982. I agree that they should take a careful look at all his friends and family, even if it’s 44 years too late.

But I can’t see how this case was solved by WS at all. The DNA Doe people, working with LE, solved it in September. It’d be like saying that the USSR won the war in the Pacific by declaring war on Japan a few days after the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

I’m not meaning to criticize anyone at WS.

I suppose I meant the puzzle was cracked by WS, not solved. There was A LOT of chatter about Pamela Buckley being Sumter Jane Doe without the police announcement. A user named @JupiterAmmon made the attached picture showing that Pamela Buckley had moles she covered up in photos. My first reaction was "Oh, that's obviously the Jane Doe."

 

[wary]

Again, back in the days, people often went "soul searching" after personal crisises. Both were in seperation or divorce and probably both felt stuck in their towns and daily routines. James had an ex wife who had custody of the child and Pam.. probably her band had split up and on top of that she was separating from her husband (who was also a musician, but unrelated to sunlending). She was 25 and probably got some pressure to finally settle down and go to college (even though it seems her mom is a fairly free spirit).

So both called it quits and went for a trip across the USA. Maybe theyve met before, maybe only on the trip. But they had fairly similar life experiences, came from "better" middle class homes and were of a similar age. Maybe they dated, maybe not, maybe just casual. In any case they wanted to be free.
I agree they likely had some equipment, some vehicle and regular access to showers. Which makes the carjacking/armed robbery angle more plausible.

What you wrote feels very believable to me. Consider that James was in the Army AND married by the time he was 19. Lot of responsibility at an early age. And then there was the bicentennial excitement—1976! Maybe it’s no coincidence that they took off at the very end of 1975–it was a perfect time to just have some freedom.

 

[Lilibet]

My theory is that James had an undiagnosed neurological disease and/or mental illness. I sustain this with the fact that many sports players getting constant blows to the head are more likely to develop brain damage. Another thing adding to this is possible exposure to explosives or explosive devices while in Germany.
Mental illness and neurological disorders/diseases are not uncommon in these types of people. This may also explain why James’s ex-wife divorced him on the grounds of indignities.

Apologies for jumping into a thread I’ve only followed but never posted on. Is there a reason for this theory of brain damage/mental illness other than sports, military and assuming his wife divorced him for “indignities”? There’s no shame in either, but I’m not understanding where this idea came from and why it connects somehow with James or is even necessary. Did I miss something? (Always possible.)

That being said, I’m really happy they were both identified. James would have been about my age and his daughter is my daughter’s age. I’m so sorry she grew up without her Dad. May she find peace.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The pair was identified by DNA Doe Project using genetic genealogy. Sheriff Dennis says McDaniel suggested the department reach out to DNA Doe Project to help identify the mystery man and woman.

Since McDaniel learned about Sumter's John and Jane Doe, he says he couldn't stop searching for answers.

He even created a website dedicated to the cold case.

Clemson man credited with helping identify Sumter John, Jane Doe | wltx.com

https://sumtermysterycouple.com/

 

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

I suppose I meant the puzzle was cracked by WS, not solved. There was A LOT of chatter about Pamela Buckley being Sumter Jane Doe without the police announcement. A user named @JupiterAmmon made the attached picture showing that Pamela Buckley had moles she covered up in photos. My first reaction was "Oh, that's obviously the Jane Doe."

Yep. If Pam had been entered into NamUs earlier, along with a good headshot, I bet the WS community would've identified her within a very short while. There are people here who spend untold hours exhaustively sifting through the databases, trying their best to match decedents with MPs, however much of a "stretch" it can be at times.

In my opinion, it would've been inevitable that a "layperson" or multiple citizen sleuths working together on a platform like WS would have eventually put two and two together, had the info been entered; same with Jim's info. This whole thing demonstrates the need for a streamlined system, and that NamUs must strive to become a more efficient national database on which MP and UID cases from local jurisdictions ought to be appearing as soon as they're submitted, and only taken down upon the successful location or identification of the individual in question. I guess better late than never, but it's still so sad that their parents had to die without knowing whatever happened to their kids. Standing ovation to the DNA Doe Project for their efforts in finally getting these two identified. Again, better late than never.

 

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

{sorry, double post}

 

[Al Ka]

When someone asked the sheriff where the two were headed, he hesitated and said he did not want to go into that now, as if that was a piece of information they had just gotten or something. (Or maybe he just didn’t know what to say. He did seem like the most clueless person in the room. Very unprepared. Like he knew nothing about the case at all). Anyway, maybe there is information they got from talking with the families that will help the re-opened investigation.

That was my first thought too, however only few min later I realized he was actually extremely nervous. It does happen to better of us especially when you realize whole world is watching.

And yes, there was not much information released about Pam and James. It seems since September when they were identified by DNA Doe Project until now LE were only confirming those identification by DNA to close relatives and they did not discover/or yet searched for for extra information about their life prior to their demise.

Hopefully now that news is out, those who knew them will come out to reveal more personal information about both of them.

 

[Al Ka]

Here is a link

10 Oct 1985, 43 - Lancaster New Era at Newspapers.com

It was a legal notice of him being declared dead in 1985, which would have been 10 years after he was noted as missing.

Here's a link to another notice of his former wife petitioning the court to have him declared dead. It's from 1988.

22 Apr 1988, 38 - Intelligencer Journal at Newspapers.com

This notice said he hadn't been heard from since December 25, 1975

13 May 1988, 42 - Intelligencer Journal at Newspapers.com

Thank you for this information.

While it is speculated by LE that they have met probably while hitchiking it is strange coincidence that both of them were reported missing to police, albeit in different states, missing since Dec 75.