South Carolina Murders: Four Family Members Found Dead, Deputies Investigating ‘Violent’ Quadruple Murder [Video]


A South Carolina shooting has resulted in the violent death of four family members. According to Fox Carolina, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the murders of four victims, identified as Mike Scott, 58, Cathy Scott, 60, Barbara Scott, 80, and Violet Taylor, 82. It has been reported that all four victims lived in the home on Refuge Road in Pendleton, South Carolina. Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore determined that the four family members all died of gunshot wounds on Sunday, November 1 although they were not discovered until the following day.

On Monday, November 2, Cathy’s daughter Amy Vilardi arrived at the home and contacted local authorities when no one answered the door. Vilardi, who recently married and lives on the property in a second home, explained the series of events that led to the horrific discovery. She made the gruesome discovery after opening the back door of the home.

“When I went to knock on the back door, the door just pushed open so I walked in and it was dark and I just flipped the light on and there they were. They were just, they were there,” Vilardi said.

Initially, it was speculated that the gruesome murders could have been the result of a murder-suicide since there were no signs of forced entry, but now investigators have deemed the incident a quadruple murder.

According to WBTW, the three female victims’ bodies were found in the den area of the home. However, Mike Scott’s body was found in a bedroom. It has been reported that only one victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds, but the coroner has not released any information revealing which victim suffered those injuries.

Since there was no forced entry, investigators believe the shooting may have been a surprise attack and the victims may not have had much time to defend themselves once the gunman opened fire. Although law enforcement officials have not released many details about the victims, Shore did indicate that the murders were “very violent.”

“This was very violent,” Shore said. “Very, very violent deaths on all four of them.”

In addition to grieving the loss of her family members, Amy Vilardi is hoping that anyone with answers will come forward. During a news interview with Fox Carolina, she released a brief statement about the horrific murders. She’s seeking answers for their deaths and hopes the person responsible is held accountable. In fact, she even had a message for the unknown killer.

“I don’t understand why any of it has happened and I just keep thinking it’s a dream I’m going to wake up from,” Vilardi said. “Whoever did this, I don’t see how you can live with yourself. Just please come forward and if you know someone who said something, that they wanted to hurt them or owed them money, please come forward to Anderson County.”

Right now, there are reportedly no leads in the case. Although there are two homes on the property, investigators have only opted to center the investigation around the home where the shootings took place. As of Tuesday evening, no arrests had been made. The investigation into the South Carolina murders is ongoing. Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact Anderson County Sheriff’s Office at 864-260-4400 or Crime Stoppers at 888-CRIME-SC.

[Image via WSPA Screen Capture]

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