Investigators say a rented excavator, stolen property and credit-card activity helped lead them to Edwin Geer’s body in Laurens County.
WATERLOO, SC — A 46-year-old man has been charged with murder after investigators found the body of an 87-year-old Newberry County man buried about four feet deep behind a mobile home in Laurens County, authorities said.
Richard Lewis Cribb is charged in connection with the death of Edwin Geer, who lived in the Somerset Bay community of Chappells near Lake Greenwood, Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster said Friday. Authorities said Cribb also faces charges including first-degree burglary, armed robbery and grand larceny. The charges are accusations, and the case remains pending in court.
Geer was last seen Oct. 6 at his home and was reported missing Oct. 17 after a neighbor noticed his mail piling up and saw no activity at the residence, Foster said. Geer lived alone, and his pickup truck was also missing. Investigators from several South Carolina counties began working together as they searched for him and tried to trace his vehicles and property.
Investigators said evidence showed Cribb began using Geer’s credit cards and vehicles around the time Geer disappeared. Authorities also accused Cribb of pawning some of Geer’s belongings in Greenwood County before traveling to Horry County, where investigators said the credit cards continued to be used and more property was pawned. Cribb was taken into custody in Horry County on Oct. 23.
The investigation later turned to a property along Broadway Lane in the Waterloo area. Foster said detectives learned that Cribb had rented a mini excavator and that the equipment had been taken to the Laurens County property. Deputies who checked the site noticed evidence of recent digging and land clearing. Geer’s missing pickup was found several miles away in the same general area.
Crews used underground-detection equipment while examining the property before excavating an area behind a mobile home, according to authorities. Investigators recovered Geer’s body from a grave about four feet deep. Authorities have described the burial in restrained terms and said evidence indicated an effort had been made to conceal the body.
The discovery initially led to disagreement between the Laurens County and Newberry County coroners over when Geer’s identity could be publicly confirmed. The Laurens County Coroner’s Office said evidence and communication with Geer’s family supported the identification, while the Newberry County coroner initially said a public identification was premature without additional scientific confirmation. The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office later identified Geer as the victim when announcing the murder charge.
Foster said investigators reviewed evidence from the property, the broader investigation and information from the autopsy with the 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office before obtaining the murder charge. Authorities had not publicly released a specific cause of death as of the latest reports. Investigators also have not publicly established a confirmed prior relationship between Geer and Cribb.
Geer was remembered by neighbors as a quiet retiree who enjoyed woodworking and made items such as birdhouses and small wooden lighthouses. Foster said investigators continue to examine the financial allegations surrounding the case, including the extent of property and money allegedly taken from Geer. Additional charges could depend on the continuing investigation and review of evidence.
Cribb remained accused in Geer’s death as authorities continued the case. No trial date or final resolution of the charges had been announced, and officials had not released the complete autopsy findings or additional details about how Geer died.
Author note: Last updated November 1, 2026.