Man accused of strangling his missing mother and leaving her body in river

LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (TCN) -- Officials arrested a man several months after his missing mother was found deceased in a river under suspicious circumstances.

According to the Lexington County Coroner’s Office, 56-year-old Regina Arroyo was reported missing out of Barnwell County on Nov. 30, 2023. Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said several days later, an individual canoeing in the North Fork Edisto River found a body, which was later identified as Arroyo’s. Her death was ruled a homicide.

After seven months of investigation, the sheriff’s office announced July 2 that they identified Arroyo’s son, 37-year-old Terry Self Jr., as the suspect in her slaying. Investigators allege Self and his mother got into an argument at the suspect’s house and left together.

Investigators believe Self "used a ligature to strangle" his mother before he "dumped her body in the river and left."

Self remains held in Richland County on unrelated charges, including probation violation and possession of a controlled substance. Lexington County officials charged Self with murder on Monday, July 1, and he was denied bond.

In a statement, Koon said, "We hope to give her family members and loved ones some sense of closure."