Police claim ‘some progress’ but still no answers in case of missing Beaufort mom and son

The one-year anniversary of the disappearance of a Beaufort mother and her son came and went without public notice last month but police insist they haven’t given up and report “some progress” in the investigation.

Theresa Van Dam of Beaufort reported her daughter, Sophia, 20 at the time, and Sophia’s 2-year-old son, Matteo, missing to Sumter police on June 28, 2023 after not hearing from them for several days.

On Monday, Sumter police spokesperson Tonyia McGirt said, “We’re making some progress,” when asked about the case. But she shared no details that might shed light on how a young mother and son could seemingly disappear without a trace.

McGirt insists the case remains active.

“I know our agency does not give up,’ McGirt said. “We are continuing to investigate.”

The FBI and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office have assisted. FBI spokesman Kevin Wheeler and Beaufort County Sgt. Danny Allen referred questions to Sumter police, which his leading the investigation. SLED and family members did not respond to messages seeking comment.

When asked if police think Sophia and Matteo are alive, McGirt said she would not speculate.

At the time of her disappearance, Sophia had visited Beaufort and was reportedly returning to Sumter, 2 hours north of Beaufort, where she had recently moved. After Sophia and Matteo were reported missing, police did a “welfare check” of their Wilson Street residence in Sumter and found Sophia’s vehicle but there was no sign of the young mother and her son. On July 29, police said i n a Facebook post that they were missing and asked for the public’s help in finding them.

Over the past year, authorities have remained mostly silent except on two occasions. Last September, they publicly announced that they would be conducting “various law enforcement activities” at different locations in Beaufort County related to the search for Sophia and Matteo. As part of those efforts, law enforcement agencies searched a property at a residence on Rerock Road in Burton. They would not comment on why they were at that residence.

Investigators also publicized Sophia’s birthday on Oct. 21 in hopes the milestone would encourage anyone with information about her whereabouts to come forward.

“I still have hope,” Theresa Van Dam said at the time. “I want them found. I want my family brought back to me.”

Van Dam described her daughter, the youngest of five children, as a leader who loves to take charge of things and likes to make people laugh. Her grandson Matteo, she said, is full of energy, fun, into everything and loves to be outside.

Van Dam grew up Beaufort and graduated from Battery Creek High School. She moved to Sumter in mid-April, 2023, according to her family.

Tips can be called into Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-888-CRIME-SC, online at P3tips.com or by using the P3tips app for Apple or Android. Tipsters may also submit online tips to SLED at tips@sled.sc.gov .

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