SUMMERVILLE, SC – A body found in Dorchester County was identified on Mother’s Day as a missing Summerville mom who disappeared in early April after going on a date with a man she met on the app called “Kik.”
Ashley Nicole Pegram, age 28, was a mother of 3 young children and was found in a densely wooded area Saturday — exactly 5 weeks after she disappeared — off Brown Town Road near Harleyville.
Authorities said a tip lead them to the area and they searched for 2 days with bloodhounds before finding Pegram, who was buried in the area, WCIV-TV reported.
In an email Sunday, Dorchester County Coroner Chris Nisbet said an autopsy performed Sunday morning “revealed many interesting facts.” Nisbet said that he ruled her death as homicidal violence.
Edward Bonilla, age 30, of Hanahan was charged with her murder last week after investigators say they discovered evidence in the trunk of his car. Bonilla was originally arrested April 15 on an obstruction charge.
Pegram was last seen April 3rd with Bonilla at a Sunoco gas station in Ladson after meeting through the “Kik” messaging app.
The investigation revealed Bonilla was the last person to see her in the early morning hours of April 4.
Numerous search warrants and interviews have been completed in the past weeks, authorities say.
One search warrant led to the discovery of blood evidence in the trunk of Bonilla’s vehicle and other locations that were under his control on the day Pegram vanished. This blood has been forensically examined and is consistent with the DNA profile of the victim, Ashley Pegram, deputies said.
Ashley’s sister Brandy Chance first reported Ashley missing back on April 4th after she didn’t return home.
Before calling Deputies, Brandy Chance contacted Bonilla through texts she discovered on “Kik” where he went by the name of “Emoney Bon.”
Bonilla told Brandy Chance that Ashley was too drunk and he couldn’t handle her so he stopped and “kicked her out of his car around midnight,” officials say.— Info from WCBD-TV