A quiet South Carolina neighborhood has been shaken by the shocking discovery of a woman’s remains buried under a fire pit, leading to the arrest of her former roommate on murder charges. The tragic case, which had gone cold for nearly two years, has now resurfaced with grim new details.
Sheridan Dirk Fogle, a 54-year-old resident of Orangeburg, South Carolina, was arrested last Thursday and charged with the murder of 51-year-old Penni Whiteside. The two had lived together in Myrtle Beach in 2022, during which time Whiteside mysteriously disappeared, told WFIN.
The investigation into Whiteside’s disappearance, which began on May 11, 2022, took a dark turn when neighbors provided crucial information to the police. According to their statements, there was reason to believe that Whiteside’s remains might be buried in the backyard of the home she had shared with Fogle. This led authorities to obtain a search warrant for the property located in the 600 block of 1st Avenue South in Myrtle Beach, told South Carolina, affiliate WPDE.
On June 12, 2024, nearly two years after Whiteside was last seen, investigators conducted a thorough search of the property. What they found confirmed their worst fears—human remains buried under a fire pit in the yard. The remains were later identified as those of Penni Whiteside, bringing a tragic end to the search for the missing woman.
The Horry County Coroner’s Office confirmed the discovery and stated, “Ms. Whiteside was last seen in the spring of 2022—she was 51 years old at that time. This death is being investigated by MBPD as a homicide.”
Following the discovery, the Myrtle Beach Police Department, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service and the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety, swiftly moved to arrest Fogle at his home on Broughton Street in Orangeburg. The arrest was made at approximately 7:30 a.m., bringing Fogle into custody to face charges for the murder of his former roommate.
The case has left the community in shock, as the details of the gruesome crime continue to unfold. For now, Fogle remains behind bars, and the investigation continues as authorities seek to uncover the full story behind Whiteside’s tragic death.