Within the span of a single week, two first responders — a paramedic in South Carolina and a state police officer in New Mexico — lost their lives in what authorities now believe may be a connected chain of violence stretching more than a thousand miles. A car, a man, and a trail of tragedy bound these distant deaths together, reminding us how swiftly ordinary departures can become irreversible ones. Jaremy Smith, 32, has been arrested and charged with the officer's murder, while investigators work to determine the full weight of his role in both deaths.
Missing SC paramedic found dead; her car at scene of NM officer's killing
Two deaths: New Mexico state police officer Justin Hare, 35, killed during roadside assistance call; South Carolina paramedic Phonesia Machado-Fore found dead. Officer Hare is survived by parents, girlfriend, and two small children.
Her death is senseless. Our community has suffered a tremendous loss.
Mark
Why would a paramedic's car end up at a police shooting scene a thousand miles away?
Mimi
That's the question investigators are working to answer. Right now, Smith is a person of interest in her death, but the exact connection—whether she encountered him before, during, or after the officer's shooting—hasn't been made public yet.
Mark
So we don't know if these are two separate crimes or one connected story?
Mimi
Not yet. What we know is that Machado-Fore disappeared Tuesday and was found dead Friday. Her car appeared at the I-40 scene where Hare was killed that same Friday morning. The timing and location suggest a connection, but authorities are still investigating.
Mark
What strikes you most about this?
Mimi
That both victims were first responders—people trained to help strangers. Hare stopped to assist someone with a flat tire. Machado-Fore was a paramedic. And now both are dead, and a community has lost two people who spent their lives trying to save others.
Mark
Do we know anything about Smith's background or motive?
Mimi
Not from what's been released. He's from South Carolina, he was armed, and he was apparently willing to kill. Beyond that, the details are still emerging as the investigation continues.
Mark
What happens next?
Mimi
Smith is in custody facing serious charges. Authorities will continue investigating the connection between the two deaths. An autopsy on Machado-Fore will provide more information about how she died. And the families of both victims are waiting for answers.
Der Puls
- A paramedic leaves home on a Tuesday morning and never returns — by Friday, her body is found in Dillon County, South Carolina, two days after she was reported missing.
- Her car surfaces over a thousand miles away in New Mexico, parked at the scene where Officer Justin Hare, 35, was shot twice and killed after stopping to help a man with a flat tire on I-40.
- The suspected shooter, Jaremy Smith, stole Hare's patrol car after the killing and fled on foot, triggering a multi-state manhunt before his arrest on Sunday.
- Smith now faces first-degree murder and multiple felony charges, and has been named a person of interest in the paramedic's death — two cases, two states, one investigation tightening around a single suspect.
- Officer Hare leaves behind parents, a girlfriend, and two small children; the Marion County Sheriff vows his community will not rest until justice is brought for Phonesia Machado-Fore.
Within the span of a single week, two first responders — a paramedic in South Carolina and a state police officer in New Mexico — lost their lives in what authorities now believe may be a connected chain of violence stretching more than a thousand miles. A car, a man, and a trail of tragedy bound these distant deaths together, reminding us how swiftly ordinary departures can become irreversible ones. Jaremy Smith, 32, has been arrested and charged with the officer's murder, while investigators work to determine the full weight of his role in both deaths.
On a Tuesday morning, South Carolina paramedic Phonesia Machado-Fore left her home and did not come back. She was reported missing by Thursday, and by Friday evening her body had been found in Dillon County. An autopsy was scheduled for the following Monday.
The story, however, refused to stay in one place. Her car turned up more than a thousand miles away in New Mexico — at the scene of a fatal shooting on Interstate 40. That connection would draw two distant deaths into a single, widening investigation.
Early Friday morning, New Mexico State Police Officer Justin Hare, 35, responded to a routine flat tire call on I-40. A man approached his patrol car, accepted an offer of a ride into town, then drew a firearm and shot Hare once. He walked to the driver's side and shot him again, pushed Hare aside, and drove off in the patrol car. Hare was found on a nearby frontage road and later died at a hospital. He is survived by his parents, his girlfriend, and two small children.
The shooter, Jaremy Smith, 32, from South Carolina, abandoned the patrol car and fled on foot. He was arrested Sunday after a manhunt. Smith now faces charges of first-degree murder, armed robbery, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, and felon in possession of a firearm. Because Machado-Fore's car was found at that same scene, he was also named a person of interest in her death.
Marion County Sheriff Brian Wallace mourned Machado-Fore as a fellow first responder and pledged that his team would not stop until those responsible for her death were brought to justice. The full picture of what unfolded between Tuesday morning and Friday evening remains under investigation.
On a Tuesday morning in South Carolina, Phonesia Machado-Fore left her home and did not return. By Thursday, her absence had become official—someone called the authorities. By Friday evening, she was found dead in Dillon County, her body discovered after two days of searching. An autopsy was scheduled for the following Monday.
But the story did not end there, and it did not stay in South Carolina. Her car, the vehicle she had driven away in that Tuesday morning, turned up more than a thousand miles away in New Mexico, parked at the scene of a fatal shooting on Interstate 40. The connection between these two deaths—one in the Carolinas, one in the desert—would soon become the focus of a multi-state investigation.
On Friday morning, early, a New Mexico State Police officer named Justin Hare, 35 years old, responded to a routine call. A vehicle on I-40 had a flat tire. Hare arrived to help. According to New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler, a man approached Hare's patrol car on the passenger side. Hare, acting as first responders do, offered the man a ride into town. The man accepted. Then, without warning, he pulled a firearm and shot Hare once. He walked to the driver's side and shot him again. He then pushed Hare into the passenger seat, climbed behind the wheel, and drove away in the patrol car.
Hare was later found on a frontage road near the interstate. He was taken to a hospital where he died. He left behind his parents, his girlfriend, and two small children.
The shooter's name was Jaremy Smith, 32, from South Carolina. After abandoning the patrol car, he fled on foot. Authorities launched a manhunt across the area but could not locate him immediately. By Sunday, he was arrested and taken into custody.
Smith now faces charges of first-degree murder, armed robbery, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, and felon in possession of a firearm. But the investigation extended beyond the shooting on the interstate. Machado-Fore's car had been found at that same scene. Smith became a person of interest in her death as well. The two cases—the paramedic found dead in South Carolina, the officer shot on a New Mexico highway—were now being investigated as potentially connected.
Marion County Sheriff Brian Wallace released a statement about Machado-Fore. "Mrs. Fore was one of us, a fellow first responder," he said. "Her death is senseless. Our community has suffered a tremendous loss. My team and I will not stop until we bring the person or persons responsible for her death to justice." The investigation into how she died, and what role Smith may have played, remained ongoing. The full scope of what happened between Tuesday morning and Friday evening was still being determined.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Mrs. Fore was one of us, a fellow first responder. Her death is senseless. Our community has suffered a tremendous loss.— Marion County Sheriff Brian Wallace
Then, without warning, the suspect pulled out a firearm and shot Officer Hare. The suspect then walked to the driver's side and shot Officer Hare again.— New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler, describing the shooting
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei WEAU ↗
Crime & Justice