By Stan Welch
Anderson County Sheriff John Skipper held a press conference Sunday afternoon to essentially inform the public that there is no progress in the investigation into the murder of four family members at a home in Pendleton last week. Four victims were found during a sweep of the home located at 2217 Refuge Road. Violet Taylor, 82, and Barbara Scott, 80, were the mothers, respectively, of Barbara Scott, 60, and Mike Scott, 58. The four victims all lived in the residence together.
Mike Scott, who worked for the South Carolina Department of Transportation , and Cathy Scott had been married for nine years; and according to neighbors, were caring for both their mothers in the home.
Sheriff Skipper assured the public that his department is “turning over every rock that can be turned over. This is a very active investigation.” Coroner Greg Shore provided the small amount of new information that was available. He explained that the autopsies of the victims revealed traumatic wounds to the bodies beyond the gunshot wounds which were the cause of death.
He also said that the possible time frame for the crime had been expanded by fourteen to sixteen hours. Previously, the time stamp of Mike Scott’s last text message had been used to establish that time frame, but Shore said the discovery that the victims had eaten within an hour of their deaths led him to revise that estimate.
Shore also announced that Crimestoppers has agreed to provide a significant cash reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator or perpetrators of the crimes.
