South Carolina police discover woman's rotting corpse in clothes donation bin, launch investigation
LUGOFF, SOUTH CAROLINA: Kershaw County Sheriff's Office reportedly found a woman's body decomposing in a donation bin between Lugoff Toyota and the Camden West Inn on Saturday, December 31, 2022. A passerby alerted the police due to the stench emanating from the bin.
Police initially believed the woman might have died while attempting to stay warm amid a recent temperature decrease. Sheriff Lee Boan of Kershaw County, South Carolina, stated, "Unfortunately, it appears the body has possibly been there for months." Kershaw County Coroner David West stated that the woman's body was "virtually mummified," there were no traces of how she died, and she had been in the trash for months. West said an autopsy is set for Wednesday, January 4, at 2 pm, per The Sun.
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A number of other things that were discovered in the bin that appeared to be older, including a collection of VHS tapes. West reportedly stated, "The donation bin had likely not been emptied in many years." The victim's identify is currently unknown.
According to reports, South Carolina is currently suffering its worst levels of crime, and a survey by the state's law enforcement division found that the murder rate rose to its highest level since 1991 in 2021.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division released their crime report for 2021 on November 10, 2022. Police and sheriff's agencies from all around the state provided the information gathered for the report. The murder rate increased by 0.89% between 2020 and 2021, whereas weapon law violations grew by 4.2%.
SLED Chief Mark Keel stated that the number of killings were up by 52.2% in the last 10 years. He said, "I am extremely concerned by the increasing number of murders in our state; however, I am optimistic to see the overall violent crime rate decreased by 5.1% in 2021 after historic highs in 2020," as reported by WCSC. The year 2021 saw a total of 566 homicides.
Keel said, "We must all work together to combat crime in our communities, and that means working with our elected officials, criminal justice system partners and community leaders. We must have positive community partnerships, interaction, support and investment to truly make an impact on crime."