Six people have been found dead and another seriously injured following a fire at a South Carolina home that is being investigated for murder, the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office announced Sunday evening.
Around 11 a.m., deputies responded to a fire at a home on Folly Creek Lane in Green Pond, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
The Colleton County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the six deceased victims and no information on the causes of their deaths was available.
After being discovered, the sole surviving victim was taken to a local hospital, the statement said. The sheriff’s office said the surviving victim was in critical condition, but no further information on his status was available.
Ryan Lenard Manigo, 33, has been charged with attempted murder in connection with the surviving victim, the statement said. The sheriff’s office said additional charges are pending victim identifications and autopsy results.
It is unclear how the sheriff’s office linked Manigo to the fire, or how the fire was determined to be an intentional foul play.
Manigo is being held in the Colleton County Detention Center pending a bail hearing, according to jail records.
Despite the arrest, the investigation is continuing and the sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information to call 843-549-2211.
In addition to the sheriff’s office, the South Carolina Division of Law Enforcement Arson Team is assisting in the investigation.