LONGS, SC (WBTW) – The man Horry County Police say killed a pregnant, 22-year-old woman from New York has refused extradition back to South Carolina.
Horry County Police say a murder warrant has been issued for the ex-boyfriend of a woman whose body was discovered in a vacant lot in Longs Monday morning.
Lt. Mark Bonner with the Horry County Police Department says officers were dispatched to 1700 Vera Road around 11 a.m. Monday in reference to a body discovered in a nearby vacant lot.
According to a police report, the owner of the land where the woman’s body was discovered came to the property Monday morning to get dirt when he saw her motionless body lying on the ground surrounded by blood. Without getting out of the vehicle, the witness turned the car around and immediately called 911.
Officers who responded to the scene note the victim, identified as 22-year-old Shannon Nicole DiTillio, was lying on her back with a blue bag to her left, and a black backpack and a red bag in the pond behind her body.
Lt. Bonner says DiTillio arrived in Myrtle Beach April 7 from Buffalo, NY, but detectives need the community’s help on where she went or who she was with from the time she arrived until Monday morning.
News13’s sister station, WIVB in Buffalo, NY, spoke to DiTillio’s mother, Lisa Beiter of North Tonawanda. Beiter says when she learned of her daughter’s death, she also discovered that her daughter was four months pregnant. The unborn child did not survive.
“At first it was like, we didn’t believe it,” says Beiter. “I didn’t even know she was out of town. So, it was just a big shock.”
Lt. Bonner says DiTillio’s former boyfriend, Chris Kalb, was arrested on an unrelated charge in Brunswick County Wednesday night, and a murder warrant has been issued for Kalb in DiTillio’s death.
Lt. Bonner could not go into detail in regards to what evidence led detectives to pursue the murder charge, and confirms the warrant will be served when Kalb is extradited to South Carolina, although it’s unclear how long that may take.
In his court appearance for the Brunswick County charge, Kalb refused extradition to Horry County, the Clerk of Court reports. Kalb’s next court date will be May 12. Mike Ramos has been assigned as Kalb’s court appointed attorney.
DiTillio and Kalb have a 16-month-old child together, adds Lt. Bonner, and DiTillio planned to see Kalb during her visit to Myrtle Beach.
Public Information Officer Emily Flax with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office says deputies arrested Kalb on a domestic violence warrant from November 2015. Kalb is accused of grabbing a woman and hitting her in the face. The charges are not related to DiTillio in anyway, says Flax.
Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard says DiTillio’s death is being investigated as a homicide.
