Infant Found Crying Next To Dead Bodies Of Man And Woman Inside Apartment

A crying infant was found next to the dead bodies of a man and woman inside an apartment in South Carolina. The incident appears to be a murder-suicide, officials said.

The two dead bodies were found after gunshots were heard from inside an apartment on Westwood Drive in Manning, according to WLTX News19.

The Clarendon County Sheriff's Office and the Manning Police Department responded to the apartment complex around 11:56 p.m. Wednesday and were told by witnesses that gunshots were heard coming from an upstairs apartment.

Responding officers tried to make contact with the apartment's occupants, but nobody answered. Deputies heard the cries of a small child coming from the apartment. They forced their way inside to find the infant alongside two dead bodies in the living room, according to WIS TV.

" ... Deputies could hear a small child crying. At that time, deputies made a forced entry into the apartment and discovered 2 deceased victims in the living room area of the apartment," the Clarendon County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. "Deputies also located an infant child near one of the victims."

"The infant was not harmed and was immediately taken to EMS personnel staged in the parking lot," the sheriff's office.

The two deceased individuals were identified as 32-year-old Dezmond A. Mitchell and 25-year-old Nakita Monet Baxter.

Mitchell's last known address was in the Pinewood/Rimini area of Clarendon County. Baster is of the Manning area, officials said in the statement.

The pair were in a relationship. However, their relationship with the child was not immediately clear.

Witnesses told deputies that they could hear the couple arguing in the upstairs apartment before the sounds of gunshots were heard.

Baxter had only moved into the apartment about a week back, officials were told. It is unclear if Mitchell was living with Baxter during the incident.

" ... It is unknown at this time if the child was theirs together or if Mitchell was living with Baxter full time," the sheriff's office said. "The investigation is ongoing, but the preliminary results appear to be a murder/suicide."

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.