Two men whose bodies were found in Midlands home identified by SC coroner
The men whose bodies were found inside a Midlands home over the weekend were publicly identified by the Newberry County Coroner’s Office Tuesday.
Newberry residents R. Fabian Salas-Mejia, 30, and Constantino Sanchez, 23, are the dead men discovered Sunday night by Newberry County sheriff’s deputies making a wellness check, Coroner Laura Kneece said in a news release.
No cause of death has been released for either man, but Kneece said her office and the sheriff’s office are investigating a shooting.
Autopsies for Salas-Mejia and Sanchez have been scheduled for this week, according to the release.
At about 5:30 p.m. Sunday, deputies discovered the bodies inside a home in the 500 block of Wren Road, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. That’s near Exit 76 on Interstate 26, and about 3 miles from Newberry High School.
Family members called 911 after they could not get in contact with the homeowner, according to the sheriff’s office.
There was no word if either Salas-Mejia or Sanchez was the homeowner, or if one or both lived at the residence.
Information on a possible shooter, or shooters, was not available, but the deaths are being investigated as suspicious, according to the sheriff’s office. There was no word on a motive for the gunfire.
The sheriff’s office said it believes the incident was “contained to the crime scene and the public is not in eminent danger.”
Along with the sheriff’s office and coroner’s office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is assisting in the investigation after SLED agents helped process the scene.
Anyone with information about the deaths is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 803-321-2222, or CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 9:28 AM.
