Susan Rhodes, a 65-year-old North Augusta woman, vanished for 55 days after a June 11, 2025, car crash in Edgefield County, South Carolina, and the disappearance that drew helicopters, drones, and multi-county search teams turned out to be a hiding effort to dodge a hit-and-run charge. She reappeared on her own couch in August, gave investigators an account they called bizarre and inconsistent, and ultimately pleaded guilty to traffic charges without serving prison time.
The Crash She Walked Away From
On June 11, 2025, Rhodes was driving a Chevrolet Malibu on Gregory Lake Road in Edgefield County when witnesses saw her swerving.1WFXG. Susan Rhodes Arrested Months After Hit-and-Run, More Details Released She sideswiped a Toyota SUV and her car came to rest in a ditch.2The Augusta Press. NADPS: Susan Rhodes Hid for Weeks to Dodge Hit-and-Run Charge An open can of Bud Light was found inside the vehicle.3The Augusta Press. North Augusta Woman Gets Probation After Fabricating Disappearance Story Witnesses said she appeared disoriented after getting out. Her roommate later told investigators Rhodes had been complaining of high blood pressure and stroke-like symptoms that day and was wearing an arm sling.4WBTV. South Carolina Woman Put in Jail After Mysterious 55-Day Disappearance Instead of staying at the scene, Rhodes walked into the woods.
Soon after, she spoke briefly by phone with her roommate and with officers. She sounded confused. When officers asked her to dial 911 so her phone could be pinged for a location, she hung up.4WBTV. South Carolina Woman Put in Jail After Mysterious 55-Day Disappearance No one heard from her again for nearly two months.
A Multi-Agency Search That Found Nothing
The North Augusta Department of Public Safety issued a Code Red Alert and entered Rhodes into the National Crime Information Center database as a missing person.2The Augusta Press. NADPS: Susan Rhodes Hid for Weeks to Dodge Hit-and-Run Charge The Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office, Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division joined the search. Teams used K-9 units, drones, and a helicopter with infrared cameras.5WRDW. Susan Rhodes Gives Bizarre Story of Where She’s Been for 2 Months Heavy rain complicated the effort. The search was suspended after the first night when authorities concluded she was no longer in the area.
Reappearance on August 5
Fifty-five days after the crash, on August 5, 2025, Rhodes’s roommate came home from a doctor’s appointment and found her sitting on the couch of their house on Big Oak Drive.6WRDW. Latest on the Disappearance and Mysterious Return of Susan Rhodes The roommate called police around 4:15 p.m. Officers found the back door locked, climbed through an open window, and discovered Rhodes hiding in a bathroom.7WAFB. Woman at Center of Month-Long Disappearance Arrested After Hospital Release Her voice was very low. She told them she thought she had suffered a stroke and could not remember much about where she had been.5WRDW. Susan Rhodes Gives Bizarre Story of Where She’s Been for 2 Months EMS took her to a hospital.
The Story She Told Investigators
Rhodes gave two versions. In the first, she said she wandered into the woods after the crash, waded into a creek that became a fast-moving river, and lost her shoes and pants holding onto a root to keep from drowning. She said she eventually reached a road, where an elderly couple picked her up, took her home, and fed her bread and water. An unknown man in a black truck then drove her back toward her house.5WRDW. Susan Rhodes Gives Bizarre Story of Where She’s Been for 2 Months
In a second interview on August 11, after her hospital release, she said she had gotten off Interstate 20, driven down Bergen Road, blacked out, and woken up underwater before making her way to a friend’s house in Royston, Georgia.8WRDW. Files Reveal New Details in Mysterious Susan Rhodes Case The crash had happened on Gregory Lake Road, not Bergen Road. The Royston friend was never identified, and no part of the account could be corroborated. The North Augusta Department of Public Safety concluded she had fabricated the story to avoid prosecution for the hit-and-run.3The Augusta Press. North Augusta Woman Gets Probation After Fabricating Disappearance Story
A Medical Crisis on the Way to Jail
Her return was followed almost immediately by a serious health emergency. On August 6, 2025, while being transported to the hospital, Rhodes was moved to the ICU with blood pressure reported around 30/70. Her son told investigators doctors believed she had taken something. By the end of that day she was on life support and fully sedated.8WRDW. Files Reveal New Details in Mysterious Susan Rhodes Case On August 7, her son reported she had overdosed on blood pressure medication. She was released on August 11 and taken into custody the same day.
Charges and Sentencing
Police obtained an arrest warrant on August 6 while Rhodes was still hospitalized.9The Augusta Press. Susan Rhodes Arrested After Hit-Run Disappearance On August 11, she was booked into the Edgefield County Detention Center on hit-and-run with property damage to an attended vehicle, reckless driving, and open container of alcohol. Bond was set at $5,000, and she was released the next day.7WAFB. Woman at Center of Month-Long Disappearance Arrested After Hospital Release
The case split between two courts. In North Augusta Municipal Court on October 2, 2025, Rhodes pleaded guilty to reckless driving and open container. She was fined $440 and $257, each with a suspended 30-day jail alternative, on the condition she complete counseling.10WRDW. Susan Rhodes Avoids Jail Time on Aiken County Charges After Her Disappearance As of late December 2025, court records showed $697 in fines still unpaid.3The Augusta Press. North Augusta Woman Gets Probation After Fabricating Disappearance Story
An Edgefield County grand jury indicted her on November 20, 2025, on a class C misdemeanor hit-and-run charge.11WRDW. Susan Rhodes Indicted on Hit-and-Run Charge in Edgefield County In December 2025, she appeared before Circuit Court Judge Walton J. McLeod IV in Edgefield County General Sessions Court and pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and damage to a vehicle.3The Augusta Press. North Augusta Woman Gets Probation After Fabricating Disappearance Story She received a one-year prison sentence, fully suspended, in exchange for 18 months of intensive probation, 50 hours of community service, and mental health counseling if deemed necessary, plus a remaining balance of $540.75. She served no prison time.8WRDW. Files Reveal New Details in Mysterious Susan Rhodes Case
What She Was Not Charged With
Although investigators concluded Rhodes fabricated her disappearance story and tied up substantial public resources, she was never charged with filing a false police report, obstruction of justice, or wasting public resources. The available record does not explain why those charges were not pursued.6WRDW. Latest on the Disappearance and Mysterious Return of Susan Rhodes