June 25, 2025

Murder and Kidnapping Charges Filed in Sumter Case

News Summary

Jonas Jerry Washington Jr. has been charged with the murder of Sophia Van Dam and the kidnapping of her son. The pair has been missing since June 2023. Authorities found signs suggesting a tragic outcome, including blood at their residence. The investigation involves multiple law enforcement agencies and continues actively while Washington remains without a plea. The case has left the local community reeling, prompting law enforcement to seek public assistance.

Sumter, SC – Jonas Jerry Washington Jr. has been charged with the murder of 20-year-old Sophia Van Dam and the kidnapping of her 2-year-old son, Matteo, who have been missing since June 2023. The formal arraignment took place in front of Judge George McFaddin Jr., where Washington did not enter a plea during the brief four-minute hearing.

Sophia Van Dam’s mother, Theresa, attended the hearing wearing a T-shirt that displayed photographs of both her daughter and grandson as a silent protest against Washington. Authorities arrested Washington in Georgia, where he was serving time on unrelated charges, before extraditing him to South Carolina.

Although neither Sophia nor Matteo’s bodies have been located, a significant amount of Sophia’s blood was discovered at their residence, leading authorities to conclude that she likely did not survive. Investigators suspect a “high probability” that Matteo is also deceased; however, the evidence only allows for a kidnapping charge related to him.

The investigation into the disappearances has involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Washington lived with Sophia and Matteo in Sumter prior to them being reported missing by family members.

Sophia was reportedly last seen driving home from Beaufort on June 24, 2023. After family members reported them missing on June 28, law enforcement conducted a welfare check and discovered Sophia’s vehicle but no indications of her or Matteo’s whereabouts.

In July 2023, authorities searched a property in Burton, SC, owned by Washington’s father, where Washington Jr. sometimes resided. The investigation is ongoing, but Ernest “Chip” Finney, the solicitor for the Third Judicial Circuit, stated that without Sophia’s body, establishing a definitive cause of death is not possible.

Washington now faces charges that stemmed from a grand jury indictment that was issued more than a year after the initial reports of their disappearance. The nature of the case has left the Sumter community visibly shaken, with local authorities describing the situation as a “horrendous” ordeal.

The investigation remains active, and law enforcement officials are still requesting tips and information from the public to assist in resolving this troubling case. The search for Sophia and Matteo continues, as authorities work to piece together the circumstances surrounding their disappearance.