Coroner’s Assistant and Ex-Partner Convicted in Brutal Murder

A Partner’s Disappearance and a House of Horrors

In November 2020, the discovery of a meticulously secured home belonging to Megan Jackson, recently charged with a heinous crime, revealed a disturbing reality. Police, searching for evidence in her residence, stumbled upon a house where almost every room was locked from the outside, hinting at a dark secret within.

The Vanishing of Gregory Rice

The investigation into the disappearance of Gregory Rice, a 46-year-old landscaper, began in October 2020. Rice had recently moved to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a place locals affectionately called “Murder Beach,” with his longtime partner, Megan Jackson, and their four children. The couple, together for 15 years, had recently separated, navigating custody issues and living apart. Rice resided in his own apartment, while Jackson lived in the same neighborhood as Chris and Erica Dantel. Chris Dantel was a former colleague of Jackson’s at a body transport company and now served as a deputy coroner.

Jackson reported Rice missing on Monday, October 5th, 2020, after he failed to respond to her calls and missed work. Friends confirmed Rice had been in good spirits the day before his disappearance and that Jackson had spoken to him the previous evening, with their conversation ending amicably. However, upon searching Rice’s apartment, police found his wallet, keys, and car, with only his phone missing. This anomaly raised suspicions.

Suspicions Turn Towards Megan Jackson

While Jackson initially expressed concern, her attitude shifted, with friends reporting her making disparaging remarks about Rice’s alleged substance abuse. Conversely, Rice’s friends insisted he was not a heavy drinker and had expressed concerns about being followed, even confiding that if anything happened to him, his ex-partner should be questioned.

A Complex Web of Relationships and Deception

The investigation soon uncovered the close working relationship between Megan Jackson and Deputy Coroner Chris Dantel. Their professional interactions were frequent, and Jackson confided in Chris and his wife, Erica, about her marital problems. It was revealed that Jackson and Chris Dantel were engaged in an affair. This affair was not entirely secret, with Erica Dantel reportedly aware of its existence. A week before Rice’s disappearance, Erica received anonymous text messages, including explicit screenshots of conversations between Chris and Jackson, detailing their affair and a trip to Florida.

When confronted, Chris Dantel initially denied the affair. The anonymous texts, purportedly sent by Rice to Erica, suggested a motive for his murder. However, it was later discovered that Jackson herself had sent these texts to Erica, possibly to pressure Chris to leave his wife or to create a pretext for her own actions.

The Discovery of Gregory Rice’s Body

On November 7th, 2020, over a month after Rice was reported missing, fishermen discovered a body in the Little Pee Dee River, approximately 20 miles from Rice’s home. The body, wrapped in a tarp secured with zip ties and cinder blocks, was identified as Gregory Rice. An autopsy revealed five gunshot wounds, including one to the temple.

Evidence Mounts Against Jackson and Dantel

The tarp used to conceal Rice’s body was traced to a local Lowe’s, where CCTV footage showed Chris Dantel purchasing it. Further investigation revealed CCTV footage of Dantel driving towards the river on the night Rice vanished and returning later. Police also obtained CCTV of both Jackson and Dantel in the vicinity of the river the day before Rice disappeared. Notably, during this outing, Jackson was seen with an inflatable doll in her car, a detail investigators considered a potential practice run for disposing of a body.

During a search of Jackson’s home, police found numerous firearms, including one matching the caliber used in Rice’s murder. They also discovered a significant amount of alcohol and, disturbingly, locks on pantry doors and children’s bedroom doors. Evidence suggested Jackson had been locking her four children in their rooms, denying them food and access to the bathroom. This revealed a pattern of severe child abuse, compounding the murder charges.

The Trial and Sentencing

Both Megan Jackson and Chris Dantel were arrested and charged with murder. On the second day of his trial, Dantel accepted a plea deal, agreeing to testify against Jackson. He claimed he assisted in disposing of Rice’s body out of fear for his own life, stating he witnessed Jackson shoot Rice multiple times and then instruct him to help place the body in the coroner’s van, treating it as another case.

Megan Jackson’s trial commenced in June 2025. During the proceedings, Jackson and Dantel each attempted to shift blame to the other. Jackson maintained that Dantel was enraged by the texts Rice had sent to Erica, leading to the confrontation. Dantel, however, corroborated the prosecution’s narrative, portraying Jackson as the primary perpetrator.

The jury found Megan Jackson guilty on all counts, including murder. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The child abuse charges against her were dismissed, with the prosecutor citing a desire to spare the children the trauma of testifying, as Jackson was already facing a life sentence.

Aftermath and Broader Implications

Chris Dantel pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and conspiracy to commit murder, receiving a 20-year prison sentence. The case highlighted a disturbing intersection of personal betrayal, illicit affairs, and extreme violence, complicated by the professional roles of those involved. It also brought to light the severe child abuse that had been occurring within Jackson’s home, a parallel tragedy that underscored the depth of her alleged depravity. The dismissal of child abuse charges, while understandable from a victim protection standpoint, leaves a lingering question about accountability for those actions.

Source: The Sinister Case of Meagan Jackson (YouTube)