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Body of Missing S.C. Police Volunteer Found

The body of missing South Carolina volunteer constable Robert Lee Bailey has been found in a shallow grave near Ladson, a Charleston suburb. Bailey, 67, disappeared May 14 after making a traffic stop in Lincolnville, S.C., 50 miles from where his body was found.

May 24, 2007

The body of missing South Carolina volunteer constable Robert Lee Bailey has been found in a shallow grave near Ladson, a Charleston suburb. Bailey, 67, disappeared May 14 after making a traffic stop in Lincolnville, S.C., 50 miles from where his body was found.

Charleston County Coroner Rae Wooten reported that Bailey was shot several times and died instantly. The shallow grave was discovered by authorities operating on information from a woman who has been charged in the case. The woman is the girlfriend of another suspect.

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The crime had resulted in a statewide search for the constable after his car was found burning near I-26.

Bailey was a retired Dorchester County (S.C.) deputy who volunteered as much as 35 hours per week as a constable in Lincolnville, a small town that can only afford one paid officer. Bailey even provided his own equipment. "Some people have that one thing where they want to give back to the community," Sgt. Richie Hill, the town's only full-time office, told the Charlotte Observer. "He gave."

Police have held and questioned several suspects and persons of interest, but no one has been charged with the murder.

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