What to Know About the Man Accused of Kidnapping Kala Brown and the Ongoing Investigation
The suspect has been arrested but officials said the investigation is not over.
— -- Investigators are still scouring the 100-acre property in South Carolina where a woman who had been missing for two months was found with a chain around her neck inside a metal storage container.
A tip led investigators to the large plot of land in Woodruff, South Carolina. They began combing through the property Thursday morning when they heard "banging" coming from a padlocked container measuring about 30 feet by 15 feet. A woman, identified as 30-year-old Kala Brown, was being held against her will inside, "chained up like a dog," said Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright.
A suspect has been arrested but officials said the investigation is not over. Here's what we know about the man in custody as well as the woman and the ongoing search.
The Suspect
Officials said Todd Kohlhepp, 45, is the owner of the land where they are searching. He was on the property when a search warrant was served. Kohlhepp was arrested Thursday at 10:45 a.m. and is in the detention center, where he is being held on one charge of kidnapping as the investigation continues. He could face more charges, depending on the outcome of the investigation, officials said.
Kohlhepp had a bond hearing this afternoon, but bond was not set and the judge said it will be passed on to a circuit court, officials said. He is scheduled to appear back in court Jan. 19. As of Friday, Kohlhepp had not yet hired an attorney and ABC News was unable to reach him personally for comment.
"This individual is a very, very dangerous individual," 7th Circuit solicitor Barry Barnette said of Kohlhepp during the bond hearing Friday.
Barnette said Kohlhepp was the last person to speak to Brown before she went missing.
According to South Carolina's sex offender registry, Kohlhepp was required to register as a sex offender in the state after he was convicted of a kidnapping in Arizona in 1987.
According to court documents obtained by ABC News, Kohlhepp was arrested when he was 15 years old for allegedly kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl when he was living with his father in Arizona in 1987. Kohlhepp allegedly went to the girl's house, threatened her with a blue steel revolver and forced her to come to his home where he tied her up and taped her mouth shut before raping her. He then walked her back to her house and threatened to kill her family if she told anyone.
The girl called police to report the incident with Kohlhepp, whom she said she knew as "Todd Sampsell," using his father's last name, according to court documents.
Kohlhepp admitted his guilt to police and told authorities he did it because he was enraged at his father, who divorced from his mother when he was about a year old, according to the documents. Kohlhepp told police he was born in Florida, raised in Georgia and moved around a lot. He eventually became a resident in South Carolina where his mother -- identified in court documents as Regina Kohlhepp -- lived.
Kohlhepp's case was moved from juvenile to adult court. The judge who moved his case described Kohlhepp as "very bright and should be advanced academically," but said he is "behaviorally and emotionally dangerous."
"At less than the age of 9, this juvenile was impulsive, explosive, and preoccupied with sexual content. He has not changed. He has been unabatedly aggressive to others and destructive of property since nursery school. He destroys his own clothing, personal possessions and pets apparently on whim and caprice," the judge wrote.
Kohlhepp pleaded guilty, providing that the sexual assault charge be dismissed. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and required to register as a sex offender.
A psychiatrist’s report included in the court documents obtained by ABC News paints a troubling picture of Kohlhepp's childhood. Growing up, he destroyed his bedroom with a hammer, destroyed other children's projects, hit other children, poured Clorox into a goldfish bowl, shot a dog with a BB gun, shredded his own clothes and was dismissed from the Boy Scouts because he was too disruptive, according to the report.
A pre-sentencing investigation report included in the court documents obtained by ABC News states that Kohlhepp's mother, Regina Kohlhepp, said her son once threatened to kill her if she didn't let him go live with his natural father. However, Kohlhepp told officials his natural father was physically and verbally abusive. He also said he had suicidal and homicidal thoughts and had issues with his mother and stepfather. He had extensive counseling for his behavior, including hospitalization, when he was as young as 8 or 9-years-old, according to court documents.
According to ABC affiliate KTRK, South Carolina Labor, Licensing and Regulation says Kohlhepp is listed as "broker in charge" at TKA Real Estate and TKA Real Estate Greenville. According to the company’s website, TKA Real Estate has over a dozen employees with offices in Greenville and Spartanburg. Employees at the firm could not be immediately reached for comment.
In what appears to be his biography on the company website, Kohlhepp says he’s a licensed pilot and has degrees in business and computer science from University of South Carolina and Central Arizona College.
Lindsey Mayson, a friend of Brown, told ABC affiliate WJBF that Brown cleaned houses for Kohlhepp. Mayson said she met the man briefly when she helped Brown on the job one day.
“We went by his house to get a key before we went by his house to clean. Didn’t seem like a person who would do anything to anybody. He seemed down to earth," Mayson told WJBF.
The Search
Sheriff Wright called it "divine intervention from God himself" that led investigators to Brown's location and "good investigative work" that brought them out to the stretch of land in the first place.
The Anderson Police Department received information that Brown's phone had been tracked to Kohlhepp's property on Woodruff Road, according to Barnette. After receiving the tip, investigators launched a search on Kohlhepp’s property around 8:30 a.m. Thursday. Numerous officers, police dogs, digging equipment and a helicopter were on the scene.
The vehicle that Brown and her boyfriend, Charles Carver, were seen in after disappearing in late August was located in a wooded area on the property. Carver is still missing.
"We don't have any indication either way. We're certainly praying for the best outcome," Wright said at a press conference Thursday.
At least one body was found on Kohlhepp’s property on Friday, and Saturday night Wright announced that the body had been identified as Carver. The county coroner said he died of multiple gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide.
Investigators said they have also recovered multiple weapons and ammunition from the property.
As of Friday night, Wright said authorities had searched about 30 percent of the property. All unsolved missing persons cases have been reopened after Brown was found on the property, the sheriff added.
What's Next for Kala Brown
Wright said Brown was found "chained up like a dog with a chain around her neck” in the container and she told investigators she had been there for two months. She was transported to a hospital for treatment.
Brown told officials she had been fed regularly, but the Spartanburg County sheriff said it was “the grace of God that she was found alive.” Wright described Brown as "alive and well" when she was found but "obviously traumatized.”
When asked again about her condition Thursday night, Wright told reporters Brown “was in good spirits” and “looked good” considering her ordeal.
Brown told investigators that Kohlhepp took her and her boyfriend's phones. Phone pinging indicated that their phones were near Greenville. Brown also said she witnessed the suspect shoot Carver, according to Barnette.
In a statement provided by the Missing Pieces Network on Friday, Brown's family said she is "doing well physically," but emotionally is going between "good moments and bad moments." Brown and her family have requested privacy in the wake of her rescue.
"Right now Kala needs time to process and begin to cope with the events that have occurred," the Missing Pieces Network said. "She thanks everyone for their love and support."
Other Victims
The Spartanburg County sheriff said investigators may be dealing with a possible serial killer and there could be multiple bodies on the vast property.
“We’re trying to make sure that we don’t have a serial killer on our hands," Wright said Thursday. "It very possibly could be what we have."
According to Wright, Brown "told us that there may be four people on this property.”
"We're going back as far as we can for every piece of property this man has ever had to find what we need,” he added.
As the search continued this morning, Wright said cadaver dogs alerted investigators to some spots on the property. Investigators believe there are more bodies on Kohlhepp's property, according to Barnette.
ABC News’ Julia Jacobo, J.J. Gallagher, Eva Pilgrim, Darren Reynolds and Jason Volack contributed to this report.
