Charles Ray III was seen alive in a video surveillance tape from New Year’s night at a South Carolina hotel.
Effingham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Ehsanipoor said Ray’s alleged killer, Chad Moretz, was seen with Charles Ray leaving a hotel in Hampton County, S.C.
“We believe they then came to Effingham County and got into a heated argument,” Ehsanipoor said.
What the two men argued about is unknown at this time, Ehsanipoor said.
Investigators believe that Moretz stabbed Ray to death at the Moretz home on Whitehall Avenue in Effingham County either late Jan. 1 or in the early morning hours of Jan. 2.
Ray was reported missing from Chatham County on Jan. 3. Earlier reports indicated Ray was reported missing on New Year’s Eve.
A portion of Ray’s remains were found in Jasper County, S.C., on Friday. Other partial remains were found in the home of Chad Moretz and his wife, Kimberly Moretz, on Whitehall Avenue.
Chad Moretz held his wife hostage for almost five hours on Friday at the Whitehall Avenue home. He was shot to death by a Savannah-Chatham police SWAT team member when he exited the home brandishing an AR-15 rifle.
Kimberly Moretz and her brother Kevin Lambert have been arrested and both charged with concealing a death, tampering with evidence and hindering the apprehension and prosecution of a criminal.
A $25,000 bond was set for Moretz and Lambert today. The pair were still being held in the Effingham County Jail as of Tuesday afternoon.