A man has been charged with murder in the murder of his sister-in-law and daughter after authorities in South Carolina found six people dead while responding to reports of a fire and stab wounds, officials said at a news conference on Monday.
14th Circuit attorney Duffie Stone identified a 50-year-old woman and an 11-year-old girl as two of six people killed in a burning house on Sunday. No motive has been identified and officials expect further charges to be filed. The identities of the other deceased victims have not been released, as Colleton County Sheriff Buddy Hill said authorities are awaiting autopsy results.
Ryan Lenard Manigo, 33, was detained at the Colleton Detention Center on Sunday as part of the ongoing investigation. Bond was not set during a hearing on Monday afternoon, Stone said. Manigo was also charged with attempted murder of the sole survivor in addition to the two counts of murder.
Authorities found the deceased victims and one person in critical condition at a Green Pond home around 11 a.m., the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement released Sunday.
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The 13-year-old surviving victim was airlifted to a hospital in Green Pond, about 67 miles west of Charleston, and treated at the scene for cuts and stab wounds. The victim shared the suspect’s first name and vehicle description with police outside the fire, Hill said.
Hill thanked the families of the victims for their “tremendous help” and asked the public to keep them in their prayers at Monday’s press conference.
“Today’s events in this quiet, tucked away community of Green Pond are tragic,” family spokesperson Hiram Davis told WCBD-TV on Sunday.
Davis thanked law enforcement on behalf of the family for their response and compassion and stressed that while the motive is unknown, it is essential to remain vigilant in the community.
Arson investigators from the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division are involved in the case, the sheriff’s office said.
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