Watson Case: Deputies Have Shovel

Deputies disclosed to reporters today that they have a shovel in their possession that may be connected to the disappearance of Dara Lee Watson, the Mount Pleasant woman missing since last week.

The discovery seems to back up reports from motorists who reported seeing David Hedrick, Watson's fiancé, exiting the Francis Marion National Forest on Tuesday with the implement.

“We found a shovel,” Sheriff's spokesman Major James Brady told the Post and Courier. “We’re going to see if it connects.”

Authorities will perform DNA tests on the tool, Brady said. The discovery was made over the weekend during initial searches of the massive 250,000-acre forest.

On Tuesday, police pleaded for more details from the public who may have seen Watson's silver 2006 GMC Envoy or Hedrick's white 2005 Mercedes E350 between Feb. 6 and Feb. 7.

So far, a man has come forward to say he picked up Hedrick, who was hitchiking on the evening of Feb. 7, near the forest around the time authorities say Watson's SUV was burning in the woods. Other motorists reported seeing Hedrick with the shovel.

Authorities believe Hedrick was at fault in Watson's disappearance, just hours after police began a formal missing-person investigation, according to the Charleston County Coroner.

But after six days of searching, police have not located the 30-year-old woman. Mount Pleasant Police Chief Harry Sewell insisted on Tuesday that the search is still for Watson, and not a search solely for remains at this time.

Authorities have combed miles of the coastal forest, which includes swamps and marshland, 20 miles north of downtown Charleston. Police aren't rulling out the possibility that Watson might have met ill fate outside the Charleston area.

The couple traveled from Boone, N.C., in the Appalachian foothills of western North Carolina, on the evening of Monday, Feb. 6. That was the last time anyone reported hearing from or seeing Watson.

Anyone with details may contact Mount Pleasant Police at 843-884-4176.