Columbia woman found dead in Rosewood home was homicide victim, coroner says

A woman found dead in a Rosewood home was likely the victim of a homicide, according to Richland County Coroner Gary Watts.

Joan Staub, 56, of Columbia, was found dead by her roommate in their home on the 900 block of Huntington Avenue, according to the statement.

Staub died due to blunt force trauma to the upper body, according to the coroner. A statement released by Columbia police Friday afternoon confirmed that the department is investigating the case as a homicide.

Police were called to the home Thursday morning to respond to a burglary, according a police statement. When they arrived, they found the front door open and Staub inside, already dead.

The home isn’t far from Rosewood Park and Memorial Stadium.

“It is important to note that this case does not fit any pattern of similar crimes in the area,” Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said in a statement. “There is not a specific need to push out a warning to the public. We don’t think that we have a pattern of break-ins or assaults, that someone is at large committing multiple acts.”

This story was originally published August 10, 2018 at 1:17 PM.