WINNSBORO – Two incidents last week – one covered by the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety (WDPS) and one by the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office – turned out to be connected and ended in an investigation into the death of a man at an area motel.
At about 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 14, the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Fairfield Senior Village on Highway 321 N. Bypass. When officers arrived, they were told that an altercation had occurred between two women, and that one of the women ran into the nearby woods.
A responding officer noted that when he entered the wooded area where the woman was last seen, he found her lying along the edge of the woods. The officer reported that the woman had tied a tree vine around her neck and was having difficulty breathing. The officer said he untangled the vine and called for EMS. The woman was transported to an area hospital. An update on her condition has not been released.
The incident report identified a witness to the women’s altercation as the husband or boyfriend of the woman who ran into the woods. The man left after the incident and checked into a Winnsboro motel for the night.
According to authorities, the same man was found unresponsive Friday morning, May 15, in a room at the motel, also located on the Highway 321 N. Bypass.
At approximately 10:30 a.m., Friday morning, Winnsboro Department of Public Safety (WDPS) officers responded to a call from motel employees who reported they had found a middle-aged man dead on the floor in his room, according to police officials.
Sources have told The Voice that the man had stayed overnight at the motel and was found when motel workers went to check the room after he failed to check out as expected.
Officials have said that at this time, foul play is not suspected. The cause of death remains unknown as authorities await autopsy results.
The incident is under investigation by WDPS and the Fairfield County Coroner’s office.
