The Baffling Disappearance of Jeremy Grice

On the rainy morning of Friday, November 22, 1985, in Aiken County, South Carolina, the aftermath of Hurricane Kate swept through. Donna Arrington, awakening around 10:00 am, was taken aback to find her front door slightly ajar. After ensuring her 10-month-old daughter Christy was safe in her cot, she went to her son Jeremy Grice's bedroom, expecting to find him peacefully asleep. However, to her dismay, his room was vacant. The family's German shepherd, his constant companion, was also nowhere to be found.

Amidst Jeremy's socks and shoes scattered on the bedroom floor, Donna, in her search, discovered his room and his cherished jacket, an item he never left without. Oddly, Jeremy, wherever he was, was not adorned in a coat or shoes.

Concerned, Donna hurried to the front garden, calling out Jeremy's name. No response. Panic setting in, she placed Christy in her playpen and rushed to her father-in-law's nearby house. Inquiring about Jeremy, she discovered he hadn't been there. Distressed, she sought help from neighbors, but no one had any information.

Returning home at 11:00 a.m., Donna informed Jeremy's father, Ray Grice, and her spouse, Nick, both of whom promptly abandoned their jobs to join the search. The neighborhood rallied, assuming Jeremy was simply playing and would soon be found. However, as time passed without a trace, worry gripped the community. Donna reported Jeremy missing to the Aiken County Sheriff's Office at 1:30 p.m.

Deputies scoured the area, but the prior search efforts by neighbors hindered the use of bloodhounds, unable to discern Jeremy's scent amid the high activity. A setback acknowledged by Aiken County Sheriff Carroll Heath.

The anxiety escalated as Jeremy's German shepherd returned alone, dispelling hopes of a mere misplacement. The community, aware Jeremy always had his dog, now feared kidnapping. Investigators canvassed the neighborhood, receiving a crucial sighting from Geneva Van Buren, who saw Jeremy at 8:45 a.m., playing barefoot in the rain, an image etched in her memory.

Detectives questioned the family, learning that the last time Donna saw Jeremy was boarding the school bus for pre-kindergarten. As investigators delved into his routine, habits, and interactions, a complex puzzle emerged. The community's remoteness seemingly made stranger abduction improbable, yet detectives couldn't entirely rule it out.

The involvement of the FBI on Saturday intensified the search, spanning ground and air operations. Interviews, polygraph tests, and pond searches yielded no breakthroughs. Suspicions arose about the possibility of a neighborhood connection.

Despite efforts, Jeremy's whereabouts remained elusive. A reward was declared, but leads were scarce. The investigation involved multiple law enforcement agencies, each striving to find the missing boy. However, by year's end, Jeremy's case slipped from public attention.

Throughout the years, leads emerged from different parts of the country, but none materialized. Donna and Nick clung to hope, envisioning Jeremy alive but kidnapped. Ray, more pragmatic, suspected a local connection, emphasizing the absence of unfamiliar traffic in the area.

In May 1992, on what would have been Jeremy's eleventh birthday, an age progression picture was released, aiming to rekindle the investigation. A psychic's claim led to a pond search in 1995, yet no trace of Jeremy was found.

Despite the active case, new tips are rare, and the investigation has reached a standstill. Jeremy's relatives and investigators hold on to a remote hope that he might still be alive. In 1985, a vivacious 4-year-old vanished, leaving a community haunted by uncertainty. If you possess any information, please contact the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office at 803–642–1761.