Krystal Anderson disappeared in 2022, and her boyfriend remains charged with kidnapping and murder.
BLACKVILLE, SC — Human remains found buried off Highway 37 in Barnwell County are believed to be those of Krystal Anderson, an Aiken County mother of four who vanished nearly four years ago, prosecutors and investigators said.
The discovery marks a major turn in a case that began when Anderson, then 30, was last heard from on Aug. 20, 2022. Her boyfriend, Tony Berry, has been charged with kidnapping and murder. He had been expected to go to trial soon, but the trial has been delayed as investigators await final identification of the remains and work through new evidence tied to the search site.
Aiken County deputies said they acted on new information when they searched and excavated an area near Blackville on Wednesday. The remains were found buried near Highway 37, miles from the Wagener area where authorities say Anderson was killed. DNA testing had not been completed, but people close to the case said personal items found with the remains matched items Anderson had owned. Private investigator Chandra Cleveland, who has worked with Anderson’s family, said the finding was painful but important. “There were belongings found on those remains that were identical to Krystal’s belongings,” Cleveland said.
Anderson was reported missing from her home in Wagener on Aug. 23, 2022, three days after relatives said they last heard from her. Family members said her silence was out of character because she stayed in contact with her relatives and children. Her sister, Shadira Smothers, said at the time that Anderson had never disappeared without telling someone where she was. Anderson left behind four children. Relatives said the children were one reason they believed something was wrong from the start, because Anderson would not have left them by choice.
Arrest warrants later placed the alleged killing between 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. Aug. 20, 2022, near 233 Seivern Road in Wagener. Authorities said witnesses reported seeing Berry in a verbal altercation with Anderson that night. The warrant said Berry was later seen placing Anderson into the trunk of his 2007 Cadillac CTS. The car was later found burned in a wooded area in Newberry County. Investigators had searched for Anderson’s body for years before the Barnwell County discovery.
Investigators said search warrants, cellphone data and internet search records became key parts of the case. According to the arrest warrant, Berry bought items authorities said could be used to dispose of human remains, including a gas-powered auger, a shovel, premixed fuel, plastic coveralls, gloves, trash bags and a large roll of plastic. The warrant also said evidence showed Berry had researched how to carry out a crime and leave no evidence. Authorities have not said publicly what new information led them to the Blackville-area burial site.
Berry’s son, Darius Berry, was also arrested in the case after investigators accused him of helping conceal evidence. Authorities said Darius Berry was suspected of helping destroy evidence by burning the Cadillac in Newberry County on Aug. 28, 2022, between 2:40 and 4:30 a.m. He was initially charged in Aiken County with accessory after the fact to murder. Later reporting said some charges did not move forward in Aiken County because of jurisdiction issues, and he later faced an arson-related charge tied to the burned car. Tony Berry has remained charged in Anderson’s kidnapping and murder.
For Anderson’s family, the years since her disappearance have been marked by vigils, searches and public pleas for answers. Smothers has said Aug. 20, 2022, changed her life and that the family struggled with each year that passed without Anderson being found. At a vigil two years after the disappearance, Smothers said time had not eased the pain. “It doesn’t get easier, it gets harder,” she said. The family gathered again in 2025, three years after Anderson vanished, and relatives said her children had been living in separate homes with family members.
Cleveland said the discovery near Blackville may give the family the answer it has sought since Anderson disappeared, but it also confirms the loss her children have lived with for years. “Of course, it was devastating. It’s just like the first day it happened when she went missing,” Cleveland said. She said the family now may be able to plan a final resting place for Anderson and help the children face the reality that their mother is not coming back.
The case also raised questions from Anderson’s relatives about how the early search and investigation unfolded. Family members said in 2022 that they felt left in the dark as days turned into weeks without answers. Smothers said relatives shared information with law enforcement from the beginning and later said she believed the case could have moved faster. Cleveland also criticized the early stages of the investigation, saying she had given information that she believed could have led to Berry’s arrest weeks after Anderson disappeared.
Officials have not announced a final DNA match or a new trial date for Berry. Prosecutors are treating the remains as a major development while the identification process continues. The next step is formal confirmation by forensic testing, followed by any court filings tied to the delayed trial and the newly recovered evidence.
Author note: Last updated May 15, 2026.