Investigation into missing SC woman leads to arrest of NC serial killer, much larger case

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WLOS) — A man who authorities have called a 'serial killer,' tying him to the disappearance and deaths of several women from the Carolinas, will spend the rest of his life in prison.

The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, United States Attorney’s Office District of South Carolina, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference Wednesday morning to provide updates on the investigation into Daniel Printz, 59, of Bostic, North Carolina, who plead guilty to the the kidnapping and death of 80-year-old Edna Suttles, of Greenville County, South Carolina on June 21, 2022. In a press release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of South Carolina said Printz had also admitted he had "some responsibility for, or role in" the deaths or disappearances of Dolores Sellers, of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, her daughter Nancy Rego, of Gaston County, North Carolina and Leigh Goodman, of Gaston County, North Carolina.

During the conference, authorities emphasized that the investigation into Suttles' disappearance is what led to the larger, joint investigation into the disappearance of several other women, ultimately connecting them to Printz, who they described as "a sick-minded individual" who "preyed on the elderly" and "preyed on females." They said no reports were ever filed for the other three women, adding that Printz is responsible for posing as some of the women after their death and continuing to collect money from their bank accounts.

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“Printz is a monster who has a long history of targeting, kidnapping, and killing women - causing unimaginable loss to his victims and their families,” said U.S. Attorney Corey F. Ellis for the District of South Carolina in a press release. “He has earned every day of his life sentence, and our communities are safer with him in a prison cell."

INVESTIGATION TIMELINE

On August 28, 2021, in Greenville County, South Carolina, authorities were notified that Edna Suttles, 80, was missing.

On Sept. 3, 2021, authorities located the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee that belonged to Suttles at a Best Western hotel in Travelers Rest. Authorities were able to review surveillance footage from the Best Western, along with surveillance video from a nearby grocery store and an antique store adjacent to Suttles home from the day she went missing.

The surveillance video showed (all times approximate):

• 9:22 a.m.: A Chevrolet Cruze pulled into the Food Lion along Walnut Lane in Travelers Rest, SC
• 9:30 a.m.: Suttles drove away from her home in her Jeep Grand Cherokee
• 9:38 a.m.: An individual, later identified as Daniel Printz, purchased a pack of yogurt at the Food Lion and scanned his frequent shopper card during checkout
• 9:39 a.m.: Suttles parked her Jeep near the Chevrolet Cruze in front of Food Lion. Printz was seen walking out of the grocery store with a grocery bag and gesturing to Suttles. Printz walked by the Jeep and continued to his vehicle. He retrieved a small bag from his vehicle and then carried the bag, along with the grocery bag, to the Jeep and got into the front passenger seat. Soon after, Suttles left with Printz in her vehicle.
• 1:43 p.m.: The Jeep left the home Suttles lived in, traveling back towards the Food Lion.
• 2:02 p.m.: The Jeep pulled into the Food Lion parking lot and parked across the log from the Chevrolet Cruze. Printz can be seen exiting the driver’s side door and walking to his vehicle. Printz then moved his vehicle and parked directly adjacent to Suttles vehicle. Printz then moved Suttles from her Jeep to his car.
• 2:07 p.m.: Printz drove the Jeep to the Best Western parking lot. Video surveillance captured him wiping down both the interior and exterior of the vehicle before walking away from the parking lot.
• 2:14 p.m.: Printz is seen walking back to his vehicle and driving away with an apparently “motionless” Suttles.

SEPT. 9, 2021: PRINTZ ARRESTED, SEARCH WARRANT EXECUTED

On Sept. 9, 2021, Printz was arrested at his residence on Kiser Road in Bostic, North Carolina, by the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office on warrants for Grand Larceny based on the surveillance footage showing him driving the Jeep Cherokee belonging to Suttles. Officials say Printz was identified by his Food Lion frequent shopper card.

During the execution of the arrest warrant at the home, authorities found multiple firearms and electronic devices. The firearms led Rutherford County authorities to charge Printz with several state firearm violations including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, two counts of possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle and two counts of possession of a short-barreled rifle with an obliterated serial number.

During the search, investigators found a North Carolina driver’s license and passport belonging to Nancy Rego, 66. Additionally, they located bank statements and a debit card belonging to Rego inside of Printz’s wallet.

When questioned, Printz told authorities he had been appointed Rego’s power of attorney over her affairs. Investigators later discovered that Rego had been listed as missing from the Charlotte, North Carolina, area since 2017.

When investigators contacted Rego’s family members, they were told Rego and Printz were in a relationship prior to her disappearance. “Rego’s family members have reported communicating through text and email with an individual who purported to be Rego; however, the individual declined to meet with, or speak to, any family members,” according to a federal search warrant unsealed on March 15, 2021

SEPT. 23, 2021: SECOND SEARCH WARRANT EXECUTED, MORE ITEMS OF REGO'S LOCATED

On Sept. 23, 2021, Rutherford County authorities executed a second search warrant for Printz’ residence in connection with the missing person investigation into Rego. During that search, investigators found more documents in Rego’s name, along with a wallet belonging to Rego’s mother, Dolores Sellers Gore, and pill bottles for powerful drugs in Rego’s name.

“Investigators also found partially full pill bottles prescribed to Rego labelled ‘Cyblobenzaprine 10mg,’ ‘Tramadol HCL 50mg tab,’ and ‘Lorazepam 2mg tab’ (all dated 2017), as well as black bag containing various items, including zip-ties, a taser, lubricant, and crushed pills in a plastic bag labeled ‘Ativan,’” a federal search warrant said.

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Investigators also found a handgun belonging to Suttles.

OCT. 9, 2021: THIRD SEARCH WARRANT EXECUTED, ITEMS BELONGING TO SUTTLES LOCATED

On Oct. 9, 2021, Printz’ wife and another individual were reportedly removing various birds from the property when they located a bee box approximately 75-yards from the home in an area mostly surrounded by trees. Inside the bee box, they found “a woman’s purse, rope, zip-ties, and medication hidden inside,” the federal search warrant said.

The individual notified the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, and a third search warrant was issued for the property.

“During a law enforcement search of the property, Suttles’s purse, Jeep Grand Cherokee keys, and other various items belonging to Suttles were located inside the bee box,” the federal search warrant said.

Additionally, authorities found an empty yogurt container inside the bee box. Approximately 30 feet away from the bee box, authorities found an interior vehicle panel along with a black trash bag and a tarp.

The warrant said the yogurt container was later tested at the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Forensic Services Laboratory and was found to contain traces of Cyclobenzaprine (commercially known as Flexeril), Tramadol (commercially known at Ultram, Tramal or Topalgic) and Lorazepam (commercially known as Ativan). Authorities later said they believed Printz used this lethal mixture of prescription medication in the yogurt to drug Suttles.

OCT. 10, 2021: POLICE K-9 BROUGHT TO PRINTZ HOME

The following day, Oct. 10, 2021, investigators brought a police K-9 trained to detect the odor of human decomposition to Printz’ property but the dog did not locate any remains. However, warrants say, “the K-9 produced a strong alert to the scent of human decomposition at the location where the vehicle panel, trash bag, and tarp were recovered.”

SEPT. 2021: PRINTZ QUESTIONING

During two separate interviews with Printz in September, he admitted to traveling from North Carolina to South Carolina in August to visit Suttles, saying the two were friends. He claimed he had dropped her off at her home after leaving the Food Lion parking lot on August 27. Additionally, he claimed she had hired a private investigator to help her daughter with a pending divorce. Printz said he wiped down her vehicle because he was nervous about being involved in the situation between Suttles and the private investigator.

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OCT. 2021: PRINTZ TELLS OFFICIALS HE WANTS TO "DISCLOSE HIS 'SINS'"

During a third interview, on Oct. 13, investigators confronted Printz with the additional items that had been discovered on his property.

“Printz eventually advised he wanted to fully disclose his ‘sins’ and state he knew he would likely spend the rest of his life in prison,” the federal warrant said. “Printz told investigators he wanted to ‘purge himself’ of details which were not even on the law enforcement ‘radar,’ and that he wanted to ‘come clean’ through an attorney at a later date."

He continued on saying,

he ‘hypothetically’ assisted a close friend with the euthanasia of a family member. He then stated, ‘That is one body.’ The friend then had feelings of remorse and was going to ‘tell.’ Printz described the friend as the ‘second body.’ Printz went on to tell investigators of another friend he was trying to help, but who also ended up dying. Printz did not report the death, but instead disposed of the body so he could keep collecting the friend’s social security benefits. Printz also described an incident in which someone tried to rob him, but the robbery ‘did not work out well for [the robber].’ He stated that after the attempted robbery, he drove to a rural area, disposed of the body, and cleaned up from the incident.

When questioned specifically about the disappearance of Suttles, Printz declined to provide additional details without a lawyer, but said “he could take law enforcement to the location of Suttles ‘within three feet,’” the warrant said.

MAY 16, 2022: BODY OF EDNA SUTTLES LOCATED

On May 16, 2022, around 10 a.m., officials say Printz took authorities to Suttles’ body, "which he had buried on a nearby property" located in a wooded area off of Harris Holly Springs Road in Rutherfordton, North Carolina.

JUNE 21, 2022: PRINTZ PLEADS GUILTY TO KIDNAPPING, DEATH OF EDNA SUTTLES

On June 21, 2022, Printz pleaded guilty in a federal court in Spartanburg, South Carolina to Kidnapping Resulting in Death in regard to the disappearance and death of Suttles.

According to a plea agreement, the government "filed a notice of intent not to seek the death penalty" in return for Printz' cooperation in helping law enforcement recover Suttles' body and solve several other kidnappings or killings he is suspected to have "had some role in," including Dolores Sellers, of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, her daughter Nancy Rego, of Gaston County, North Carolina and Leigh Goodman, of Gaston County, North Carolina.

JUNE 22, 2022: PRESS CONFERENCE HELD, MORE DETAILS ABOUT OTHER VICTIMS RELEASED

Authorities held a press conference in Greenville, South Carolina on June 22, 2022, releasing more information in the investigation into Printz' illegal activity.

Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis told the media that the initial investigation into Suttles' disappearance in August 2021 "uncovered the man responsible, a man who has now been identified as a serial killer, residing in Bostic, North Carolina."

Sheriff Hobart thanked family members of the victims for their patience and cooperation in the investigation, and he thanked members of the media for their patience during the months-long investigation.

Hobart gave a brief timeline of the investigation, sharing how it began. He said during the investigation, it was discovered Printz and Suttles had known each other for about four years and "did have some form of intimate relationship."

"It is without a doubt that if it were not for the diligent investigative efforts by this team of investigators, this man would most likely be free on the streets, continuing to prey on innocent victims," the sheriff said, thanking the efforts of the multiple law enforcement agencies who worked and continue working on this case.

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Justin Holloway, the assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina, then spoke to the media, saying that during Printz' plea, he had waved his rights to contest his sentence or his conviction. Printz was sentenced to prison and Holloway pointed out that "there is no parole in the federal system, thus, he will spend the rest of his life in federal prison."

He continued, saying that during the sentencing hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliott Daniels of the District of South Carolina presented evidence that Printz was responsible for the deaths of Dolores Sellers and Nancy Rego, and the disappearance of Leigh Goodman. "All three of these women are dead," Holloway said, "and in addition to Edna, and Daniel Printz had a role in their deaths. And for Nancy and Leigh, their disappearances."

He then gave a brief description of each victim and the legacies they tragically left behind:

• Dolores Sellers, born on Oct. 13, 1929, lived through the Great Depression and had brothers who served in both WWII and Vietnam War. She's remembered as the well-loved matriarch or her family. Holloway said Sellers passed away in November of 2017 "after being administered a lethal dose of prescription medications by Printz."
• Nancy Rego, identified as the daughter of Dolores Sellers, was born on March 8, 1951 and was known for her love of the beach. She's remembered for her laugh and love of life. Holloway said Rego passed away in January of 2018 "from a gunshot wound at the hands of Daniel Printz."
• Leigh Goodman, born on Nov. 14, 1956, is also remembered for her love of the beach, but more importantly her family. She worked as an occupational therapist. Later in life, she suffered from bipolar disorder and was diagnosed as schizoaffective. Holloway says it was during this time her and Printz met in September of 2018. "Within days of meeting Printz, she passed away at the age of 61," he said.
• Edna Suttles, who was described as "a fierce spirit with an iron backbone" is remembered as a well-known resident of Travelers Rest, South Carolina. She was the first female bail bondsman in South Carolina and later served as a private sitter for the elderly. "She was kidnapped from her South Carolina home where she was sedated by Daniel Printz with prescription medications," Holloway explained. "Printz later drove her to his North Carolina home, where he killed her and buried her body on a nearby farm."

"In America we hold firm to certain unalienable rights," Holloway said, "that of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Printz took all three of these rights away from these women. There is no more serious offense then taking the life of another and yesterday's life sentence was a small measure of justice for these families."

Sgt. JR Upton with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office spoke afterward, calling the investigation "complex" and describing the work involved by multiple agencies. He said Rutherford County Sheriff's Office helped Greenville County's department with the initial search of Printz' home, which resulted in a much larger case. "Honestly it was like a snowball going down a hill from that point."

Upton told media that Printz had manipulated Rego into signing him as her power of attorney. "He was actually getting her finances as far as her social security checks and everything that was actually being delivered to him," he said.

"Nancy, there were stories that were in place...Mr. Printz did continue to contact members of Nancy Rego's family, as if he was Nancy," Holloway told reporters. "And then he continued to contact members of Leigh Goodman's family as if he was Leigh and then he continued to withdraw money that was being paid into their bank accounts."

Officials say Printz had a prior criminal history, including a 1997 conviction from Michigan for kidnapping another woman. He was sentenced to 13 to 30 years in state prison for that crime, but was released in 2009 and his parole was terminated in 2011. Officials say he also has prior convictions for firearm possession and assault and battery.

At this time, authorities say they haven't ruled out that Printz could have other victims out there.