For 13 years, the relatives came together periodically to grieve of one of South Carolina's grisliest mass shootings and compare leads with stumped investigators.
On Sunday, they gathered again on the anniversary of the crime - this time after an unexpected break led to the man who, authorities say, confessed to the quadruple slayings.
The victims' relatives sat in court just metres away from Todd Kohlhepp as he was denied bond on the murder charges. It was their first chance to face the man accused of killing their loved ones.
After the hearing, Magistrate Judge Jimmy Henson thanked the families for their civility and composure.
Todd Kohlhepp is addressed by Judge Jimmy Henson during a bond hearing at the Spartanburg Detention Facility, in Spartanburg, S.C. Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. Source: AAP
"I know there's a lot of hurt ... beyond what a lot of people understand," he said.
Authorities have charged Kohlhepp, 45, with four counts of murder in the 2003 deaths at the Superbike Motorsports motorcycle shop in Chesnee.
Kohlhepp's alleged role in those killings was uncovered, authorities said, after a woman was found last week chained in a locked metal container on Kohlhepp's property in rural Woodruff.
Now, investigators fear they'll make more disturbing discoveries as they unwind a hidden crime spree that unfolded over more than a decade.
Kohlhepp is also charged with the woman's kidnapping, and prosecutors say more charges are expected. Authorities say Kohlhepp is a suspect in at least three other deaths.
Authorities were searching again Sunday on the suspect's 95-hectare property. Wright says Kohlhepp has shown investigators where he says he buried two other victims there.
Those are in addition to the body found on Friday at the site. Authorities identified that victim as 32-year-old Charles Carver, the boyfriend of the woman found Thursday. Carver died of multiple gunshot wounds after he and the woman went missing at the end of August.
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