Midlands man charged with murder after bodies were found in burning home, cops say
A Midlands man was charged with murder and arson after law enforcement said foul play, not a fire, killed two people whose bodies were found in a burning building Sunday.
Thomas Dwayne Knotts was charged with two counts of murder, the Camden Police Department said Monday in a news release.
The 43-year-old Camden resident will face more charges, according to the release.
Knotts was acquainted with the victims who lived at a home in the 1600 block of Lyttleton Street, police said. Information on the specific nature of the relationship was not made available, but police previously said the crime was not random.
At about 5 a.m., the Camden Fire Department responded to the two-story home and learned there was both an interior and exterior fire, police said.
After getting the house fire under control, firefighters found two bodies and called the police and Kershaw County Coroner’s Office.
During their investigation, police and Coroner David West determined both people had died as a result of foul play, according to the release.
Information on how the people died, and what led the coroner and police to conclude foul play was involved, was not made available.
The coroner’s office will publicly identify the people after notifying their families.
No motive for the deaths has been provided by police.
No bond has been set for Knotts, who is being held at the Kershaw County Detention Center, jail records show.
Both the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division assisted in the police investigation.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published January 11, 2021 at 9:20 AM.
