What happened to Shayln Harvey? Missing 16-year-old girl's remains found in West Virginia; stepfather arrested

Investigators in West Virginia have confirmed that they have found the body of Shayln Harvey, a 16-year-old girl who went missing two weeks ago.

Published on: May 19, 2026 11:49 AM IST

By Sumanti Sen

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Investigators in West Virginia have confirmed that they have found the body of a 16-year-old girl who went missing two weeks ago. Shayln Harvey had been missing since May 4, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said.

What happened to Shayln Harvey? Missing 16-year-old girl's remains found in West Virginia (Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office)

Her remains were found at a residence on Offutt Drive in Big Chimney, per Charleston Gazette-Mail.

What we know so far

Shayln was last seen on May 2 and reported missing on May 4.

Deputies said they found human remains with the help of K-9 cadaver dogs while executing a search warrant at Shayln’s home Friday. An autopsy was performed on Monday morning. The remains were subsequently positively identified as Shayln. Deputies said, per WAFB.

Deputies are waiting for completed findings from the medical examiner so they can determine a cause of death. However, the death is being investigated as a homicide, the sheriff’s office said.

Court records showed that Shayln’s stepfather, James Warren Truman, 52, was arrested on May 8 on one count of incest and one count of sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, custodian or other person in a position of trust to a child. According to WCHS-TV, Truman’s criminal complaint states that he admitted to committing “child sex crimes that mostly occurred in April at the [Big Chimney property].”

Truman waived his preliminary hearing. He is now incarcerated in the South Central Regional Jail on a cash-only bail of $100,000.

“At this time, we are not releasing the cause of death, pending the completed findings from the Medical Examiner,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a release on Monday. “This homicide investigation remains active and ongoing. Investigators will continue conducting interviews, processing evidence, and following up on all leads associated with this case.”

Anyone with information pertaining to the investigation has been urged to contact the Sheriff's Office Detective Bureau at 304-377-0556 or leave a tip on kanawhasheriff.us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sumanti Sen
Sumanti Sen covers everything that’s happening in the US, from politics to entertainment, but her expertise lies in covering crime news. She has comprehensively chronicled the Idaho student murders, the Laken Riley and Iryna Zarutska cases, and the killing of Charlie Kirk, among other incidents. Over the years, she has interviewed several victims/families of victims of crimes seeking justice. She digs up stories that might otherwise remain unheard, and does her bit to ensure that victims and survivors’ voices are heard. Sumanti’s many years of experience also include interviews with Hamas attack survivors and mental health experts, among others. Her coverage of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and interviews with survivors of the tragedy, coupled with her other works including the Titan submersible coverage, earned her the Digi Journo of the Quarter award during her first year at Hindustan Times. Sumanti actively tracks missing person cases in the United States, and peruses Reddit and other social media platforms to bring to light cases that frequently elude public attention. She has extensively covered the disappearances of Nancy Guthrie, Thomas Medlin, Beau Mann, and Sudiksha Konanki, among others. When not at work, you will either find her with her novels, or with her beloved rescue pooches.Read More

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