A homicide investigation is underway in South Carolina after two women’s bodies were found in a rural area in Sumter County, about 40 miles east of Columbia, police said.
A landowner found the bodies in a cleared area on his land, Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said at a news conference on Tuesday. The women appeared to have been killed elsewhere before their bodies were deliberately placed in the clearing, Dennis said.
The victims were identified as Kristen Grissom, 38, and Christine Marie McAbee, 35, Dennis said. An autopsy found that McAbee died from a gunshot wound, Sumter County coroner Robert M. Baker Jr. said Tuesday. An autopsy for Grissom was ongoing at the time of the news conference, Baker said.
Sumter County Sheriff’s Office 
McAbee’s death is being investigated as a homicide, and Grissom’s death is being investigated as a potential homicide, Baker said. Grissom’s death will remain a potential homicide until the autopsy results are returned.
The women had likely been dead for about a day before they were found, Baker said. Fingerprints, DNA analysis and tattoos were used to identify the women.
Grissom was from North Charleston and McAbee was from Walterboro, police said. The two women knew each other, Dennis said, but it’s not clear how close they were.
Sumter County Sheriff’s Office 
Dennis did not say if police had a suspect at the time of the press conference. He said the sheriff’s office has received multiple tips related to the case. Dennis said that the incident appears isolated and that there is no threat to the public.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the sheriff’s office.
