COLUMBIA, S.C. — Authorities have provided updates on a house fire that occurred Saturday night in Lexington County, stating that there is no ongoing threat to the community on Oak Ridge Lane.
Investigators found a man stabbed to death inside the burning home. They also discovered a second man in a shed on the property with multiple injuries.
“The neighborhood is really, really quiet. We are a close-knit community, so when something like this happens, it kind of shakes the community as a whole,” neighbor Leslie Queen said.
Queen and her family were home Saturday night when her 13-year-old son mentioned he could smell smoke.
“When we looked out the window just to see if someone was burning something out there, and the house was on fire. So it just started, and we ran outside to see what was going on, and it just got worse from there,” Queen recalled.
Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher has identified the man found in the home as 38-year-old Caldwell Melton Motley. Fisher said the cause of death was not from the fire but due to multiple stab wounds.
A second man, found in a shed on the property with multiple injuries, was taken to the hospital. The Sheriff's Department reported that the victim has undergone surgeries and is expected to survive. Authorities are still working to identify him.
“We saw and heard nothing, which is the scariest part about the entire thing,” Queen added. “I never ever thought this would be something that would happen this close to home.”
Investigators have leads in the case, including a person of interest, but details have not been released.
If you have any information about this crime, call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.