South Carolina Double Murder-Suicide: Son Fatally Shoots Elderly Parents Before Killing Self

In an apparent double murder-suicide case in South Carolina, a 28-year-old fatally shot his elderly parents before killing himself. The incident took place Thursday night in New Freedom, according to the York County Coroner's Office.

The coroner identified the victims as 71-year-old David Schlenoff, 66-year-old Elizabeth Schlenoff and their son, 28-year-old David Schlenoff. Authorities arrived at the scene of the incident after they were alerted about a structure fire. When police arrived at the scene they found the three people dead.

According to the coroner, the son shot and killed his parents before killing himself. Southern Regional Police released the following statement:

"On April 16, 2020 at approx 1710 officers were dispatched to a structure fire at a residence in S. Constitution Ave. in New Freedom Borough. Upon arrival officers found that the fire was from an unattended item being cooked. Three deceased persons were found within the residence. Everything was contained within the house and there is no danger to the public. The preliminary investigation appears to be a double murder/suicide. The investigation is ongoing."

In another case of murder-suicide in North Charleston, South Carolina, a woman fatally shot her four-year-old son before turning the gun on herself. When deputies arrived at the scene they found an unresponsive woman and a child inside a locked home.

The responding officers forced their way into the residence and found the child and woman with gunshot wounds. Both of them were pronounced dead at the scene and the officers found a gun near the bodies. No one else was at the residence when the officers found the bodies. The Charleston County Coroner’s Office confirmed that they were mother and son. They were identified as 40-year-old Gretchen Francey and four-year-old Liam Francey.

In a third case in the state, a man killed his wife and his five-year-old son before fatally shooting himself. The incident took place in York County. Deputies responded to the scene after receiving reports of gunshots fired. The responding officers found three victims with gunshot wounds. While an adult female and a child were pronounced dead at the scene, an adult male was rushed to a local hospital. The male adult died at the hospital

The victims were identified as 42-year-old Sharekia Johnson and her five-year-old son Paul Johnson Jr. Paul Johnson Sr., believed to be Sharekia’s husband, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.