Aspen Jeter disappearance: South Carolina police looking for child's father after mom shot dead, car stolen

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The search for a missing South Carolina girl whose mother was found shot to death on Thanksgiving Day is now focusing on her father, who police suspect is on the run with the 5-year-old in a vehicle stolen from the woman’s home. 

Aspen Jeter, who has now been missing for a week, is believed to have been spotted Sunday alongside Antar Antonio Jeter and the blue 2015 Mazda in a department store parking lot in Fayetteville, North Carolina, according to reports citing the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office. 

"He may give some information about the homicide," Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said Wednesday. "We want to talk to him about that." 

Family members said the girl's mother, Crystal Jumper, was found dead in her Orangeburg home on Thanksgiving after relatives called police because she had not been heard from since Nov. 1. 

SOUTH CAROLINA CHILD, ASPEN JETER, MISSING AFTER MOTHER FOUND DEAD ON THANKSGIVING 

Antar Antonio Jeter is believed to be traveling with 5-year-old Aspen Jeter, according to the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office. (Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office)

An arrest warrant has been issued for Antar Antonio Jeter and the vehicle. Ravenell said the 46-year-old is the custodial parent of Aspen and that they were both recently living at Jumper’s home. 

The mother, also 46, died of a "single gunshot wound to the upper body," Ravenell added, noting that the investigation has revealed she may have been deceased for a "few weeks" before her body was found. 

Aspen Jeter, 5, vanished from her home in Orangeburg, South Carolina. (Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office)

The first deputy to arrive at the home outside of Columbia on Nov. 24 saw insects crawling on the windows and smelled decomposition, according to a police report viewed by the Associated Press. 

Ravenell said as of Monday, investigators verified that Antar Antonio Jeter was in possession of the blue 2015 Mazda. 

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The Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office says it responded to Jeter's home on Thanksgiving to conduct a welfare check. (Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office)

"We also know that his daughter, which is the 5-year-old that is missing, was also with him at this time," he said. 

The father is described as being around 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing around 190 pounds. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.