23-year-old whose body was found in burning home is a homicide victim, SC coroner says
A South Carolina man’s body was found inside a burning home Sunday night that was called suspicious, according to the Aiken County Coroner’s Office.
On Wednesday, Coroner Darryl Ables said the man is a homicide victim.
The man who died was 23-year-old Aiken resident Markel Howard, Ables said in a news release.
At about 7:45 p.m. Sunday, the fire was reported at a home in the 100 block of Kellogg Drive, according to the release. That’s in Aiken, in the area near Citizens Park.
Firefighters found Howard, who was pronounced dead at the scene at 9 p.m., the coroner’s office said.
After an autopsy was preformed Tuesday in Newberry, Howard’s death was due to injuries sustained in the house and has been ruled a homicide, according to Ables.
No cause of death has been released.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word about where the fire originated, but the cause of the fire was called suspicious, according to the release.
Howard’s death is being investigated by both the coroner’s office and the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office.
Information about the extent of the damages caused by the fire, if the home was considered a total loss, or if any other resident’s had been displaced was not available.
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This story was originally published January 13, 2025 at 9:50 AM.
