Husband and wife charged with murdering her 75-year-old father - WFXG FOX54 Augusta - Your News One Hour Earlier

An Emanuel County man and his wife are charged with murdering her 75-year-old father.

Emanuel County investigators believe Samantha Scott and her husband Randy Scott killed Samantha Scott's father, Kenneth Janes and hid his body in a makeshift grave.

They stood before an Emanuel County judge Monday for a preliminary hearing. 

The most serious charge facing the couple is malice murder.

Investigators say they began searching for Janes after he was reported missing. Several days passed before they found his body buried in the Scott family cemetery.

Emanuel County Sheriff Tyson Stephens says the find prompted them to turn their missing person's investigation into a search for Janes' killer.

"We were able to discover the crime had committed and in fact that crime was a homicide, malice murder," said Stephens.

Investigators say evidence they've gathered has led them to believe Janes' daughter and her husband are guilty.

Court officials say Scott was using her father's Social Security card and they believe that gives the couple motive to kill Janes.

"I feel solid with the investigative work by the Sheriff's Department and by the GBI that we will have an excellent case to present to the grand jury and to the jury later on," said Altman.

If the couple doesn't take a plea deal, Altman says it will be at least nine months until a jury makes a decision on the murder case.

Altman expects the couple's indictment within three months and they will both have their preliminary hearings within two weeks. 

Investigators don't know how Janes died yet. Investigators tell Fox54 he wasn't buried in a casket. They expect to receive his autopsy results in a few weeks.