Manning man charged with desecration of remains after vehicle fire in December; manner of death unknown, investigation continues

Initially wanted for questioning, a Manning man has been charged after another man was found dead inside a burning vehicle in December 2024.

According to Tonyia McGirt, public information officer for Sumter Police Department, 27-year-old John Elliot Dingle, of Manning, turned himself in to police on Wednesday, Feb. 12, in connection to the death of 67-year-old Willis Samuel Jr.

Dingle was charged with third-degree arson and desecration of human remains and booked at Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center on a $50,000 surety bond with location monitoring, McGirt said.

Before 2:20 a.m. on Dec. 31, officers and firefighters responded to a report of a car fire behind Eastwood Park apartment complex off Boulevard Road.  Samuel Jr. was deceased inside the vehicle, McGirt said.

The manner of death has not been determined, and further autopsy results are pending.

An investigation is ongoing by Sumter Police Department, Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office, SLED and Sumter County Coroner’s Office to gather details that can determine how and why Samuels Jr. was killed.