A mother and son from a prominent legal South Carolina family were found shot dead on their family’s land, and authorities said they made no arrests in the double homicide case.
Colleton County MPs found the two dead from gunfire on a property near Islandton at around 10 p.m. Monday, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and her son Paul Murdaugh, 22, were shot multiple times and their bodies were found near a dog kennel, Colleton County’s coroner Richard Harvey said. How many times they have been shot will not be known until autopsies will be performed by the end of this week, Harvey said.
Paul Murdaugh awaited trial for boating under the influence that resulted in death in a February 2019 crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach. The woman’s body was found seven days after the crash.
The wreck led to stories questioning whether his family’s connections to the legal system in the area influenced the investigation
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Colleton County MPs turned the investigation over to the State Law Enforcement Division, whose agents did not release any information other than confirming that they are investigating the deaths as double homicides. They said there were no arrests.
Property records indicate that the Murdaugh family owns land in a rural area along the Salkehatchie River. The home is approximately 60 miles north of Savannah, Georgia
Paul Murdaugh’s grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather were all longtime elected attorneys in the area, but none of them were in office at the time of the boat crash.
Beach’s family said they hope everyone comes back with information so the killer can be brought to justice.
“The Beach family express their deepest and warmest condolences to the Murdaugh family at this terrible time. After the family suffered the devastating loss of their own daughter, the family prays that the Murdaughs will find some measure of peace over this tragic loss, ”the family statement said through their attorney, Mark Tinsley.
