Bodies of men in their early 20s found in Midlands home, SC coroner says
A double homicide investigation is underway after the bodies of two former high school football playerswere found inside a Midlands home early Tuesday morning, the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office said.
At about 1 a.m., deputies responded to a residence on Marsh Lane, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. That’s near S.C. 215 in the Winnsboro area of Fairfield County.
Deputies responding to a report of a shooting found the bodies of 23-year-old Winnsboro resident Theron Byrd and 22-year-old Jenkinsville resident Malik Butler inside the home, Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill said.
Information about the causes of death was not available, but Hill said autopsies for Butler and Byrd have been scheduled with Newberry Pathology.
No arrests have been reported by the sheriff’s office, which is investigating what it called a “double murder.” Both the coroner’s office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are assisting the sheriff’s office in the investigation.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 803-635-4141, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of these victims as they deal with this tragedy,” Sheriff Will Montgomery said in the release.
Both Butler and Byrd were members of the Fairfield Central High School football team, and Byrd was a four-year player.
Butler was facing multiple pending charges from a June 2021 arrest, Fairfield County court records show.
He was charged with murder, burglary and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in connection to the shooting death of 18-year-old Charlie Cason III, the sheriff’s office said at the time.
Butler was also facing a pending drug possession charge as well as a weapons charge from a May 2021 arrest, according to court records.
Byrd had also been arrested in recent years, and pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and battery charges as well as a weapons charge in May 2022, court records show.
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This story was originally published February 7, 2023 at 12:48 PM.
