Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis recently announced a significant breakthrough in the cold case formerly known as “Mr. X.” The case, which originated in 1975, involved the discovery of an unidentified body by a hunter near Hwy 20 and Blakely Road.
The body was found wrapped in a sheet and smoldering, indicating it had been set on fire. The Coroner’s Office ruled the death a homicide by blunt force trauma and strangulation. Despite numerous outreach efforts over the years, the victim’s identity had remained unknown.
Upon taking office in 2020, Sheriff Lewis revamped the cold case unit, aiming to re-examine active cases and leverage technological advancements. Since then, the unit has solved 11 cases. Today, Sheriff Lewis is proud to announce the identification of “Mr. X” as Oscar James Nedd of White Plains, New York. Nedd was born on April 19, 1951, in Georgia and later moved to New York to pursue a college education.
Sheriff Lewis credits Brad Willis’ podcast “Murder, Etc.” for drawing attention to the case. On July 17, 2020, GCSO investigators partnered with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office to exhume the body from Potters Field in Northern Greenville County. Subsequently, some of the skeletal remains were sent to the National Unidentified and Missing Persons System (NAMUS) for DNA testing. In parallel, a profile was created for the victim in the NAMUS database. In February 2024, Greenville County investigators were contacted by the White Plains Police Department regarding a match with a missing person case they had been working on since 1975. The individual in question was named Oscar James Nedd.
After contacting family members, investigators were able to confirm the identity of Mr. Nedd, and this information was relayed to the White Plains authorities concerning the homicide. It is believed that Nedd was killed in New York, and the case has now been transferred to their jurisdiction concerning the death investigation.
Sheriff Lewis commended his team for their dedication and perseverance in solving this cold case: “The tireless work and innovative approaches employed by our investigators have brought closure to a case that has remained a mystery for nearly five decades. Their determination to seek justice for victims and their families is truly commendable. I want to thank each member of our cold case unit for their hard work and commitment.”
