2015 homicide resolved by guilty plea

Responsibility for a Pendleton man’s death in 2015 was laid upon a Seneca resident during a court proceeding yesterday at Pickens.  After a guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter, Kerry Cobb of Seneca was sent to prison for 15 years.  Spokesman Robert Kittle for the state attorney’s general called it a negotiated sentence, predicated on Cobb revealing the location of the remains of Emmanuel Quarles.  The Oconee coroner’s office used dental records to identify skeletal remains found near Hiawassee Drive in Oconee County as those of 27-year-old Quarles.  In April 2023, the office of the attorney’s general disclosed that Quarles was last seen leaving Cobb’s Seneca home and that Cobb’s truck was later found abandoned in Pickens County with Quarles’ blood inside the truck.  “This case,” according to the A-G’s 2013 statement, “wouldn’t have happened without the persistence of Will Freestate and Kreig Marzloff, and the assistance of Dave Milan with Foothills Search and Rescue.  His team of handlers, with dogs Havana and Nolan, were able to lead searchers to the remains.  A special thank you to the manpower and resources the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office provided over three search days….”