Columbia, SC - Two people have been found dead inside separate units at a Columbia apartment complex, and the incident is now being investigated as a crime scene.
Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said Thursday afternoon that emergency crews responded to Allen Benedict Court apartments at Read and Oak Street at 9:45 a.m. Someone had called worried when a person living there didn't show up for work.
When officers got inside the unit, they found the person's body. At the same time, they got a call that someone was also unaccounted for at a until two doors down. When they went to that unit, they found the body of a second person.
The units, which are both in the J Building, are separated by a vacant unit.
There had also been a report of a bad odor in the area. So far, authorities are trying to determine if it may have been something like gas.
Columbia Fire Department officials said they're still working to determine the source of the smell, but they say there's no danger to people living in the area or in the nearby buildings.
"Everything is in this building," Jenkins said.
Richland County Coroner Watts said it's too early to speculate on a cause of death. He has not identified the people because their next of kin have not been notified.
An autopsy will be held later to officially determine the cause of death.
Holbrook said it's a crime scene because these were both unattended deaths. He said at this time, there's no evidence of any obvious trauma to the body.
