COLUMBIA, S.C. — (WLTX) -- It's been 25 days since 411 people were still displaced after a deadly gas leak at Allen Benedict Court.
News19 is committed to seeking answers to right this wrong and asking how could this happen in Columbia's Public Housing? We're investigating how the system failed Derrick Roper and Calvin Witherspoon Jr.
Roper and Witherspoon were were neighbors. Both men hadn't been seen for days and both died from a gas leak coming from the apartment separating their homes.
They were discovered after 30 year old Roper missed several days of work at Benedict College. The school contacted officers for a welfare check. When they arrived, they discovered Roper's lifeless body in the hallway.
Witherspoon lived two doors door. His family describes him as a "gentle giant" who survived cancer. He hadn't been seen in days either. It turns out, he would be the second victim of the deadly gas leak.
Police found the 61-year-old in bed next to his medication for blood pressure and cholesterol. The cancer or the high blood pressure didn't kill him, a gas leak did. According to Coroner, the cause of death for both men was carbon monoxide poisoning.
Again, News19 is committed to finding these answers. If you have any tips or questions please contact the Newsroom.