GAFFNEY, S.C. — A teenage girl shot while helping her father in their family’s small furniture and appliance store died Saturday, becoming the fifth victim of a suspected serial killer terrorizing a small South Carolina community, authorities said.
Abby Tyler, 15, died about 11:15 a.m. at a Spartanburg hospital after fighting for her life for two days, Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said.
Tyler was wounded and her father was killed Thursday as they worked to close the Tyler Home Center near downtown Gaffney.
County Sheriff Bill Blanton said investigators believe the killings are linked and the search is on for a suspected male serial killer. An 83-year-old mother and her daughter were shot to death Wednesday, and a 63-year-old peach farmer was found dead at his home a week ago.
Blanton said all the victims were shot, but he would not say how the deaths were linked. The shootings all occurred within about 10 miles of each other in Cherokee County, a rural community of 54,000 people set amid peach orchards and farms some 50 miles west of Charlotte, N.C.
The spree had alarmed residents canceling Independence Day holiday plans and arming themselves. The sheriff has warned door-to-door salesmen to stop knocking and anyone who breaks down on the county’s rural roads to wait instead of walking to a house for help because he worries “people are going to start shooting at shadows.”
The killings began a week ago Saturday when the wife of 63-year-old peach farmer Kline Cash found him dead in their home. Then last Wednesday, relatives found 83-year-old Hazel Linder and her 50-year-old daughter, Gena Linder Parker, bound and shot to death in a separate shooting at Linder’s home.
Dozens of local, state and federal investigators were assigned to the case when the killings were linked. But a day later, the killer struck again, less than a half-mile from the sheriff’s office serving as the headquarters for the investigation, killing 48-year-old Stephen Tyler and his daughter.
“We’re knee-deep in the investigation,” Blanton said Sunday. “There’s fear and concern here and there should be concern.”
Investigators have released a sketch of the suspect, saying he is in his 40s, with salt and pepper hair, about 6-foot-2, and roughly 200 pounds. They think he is driving a silver 1991-1994 Ford Explorer.
National News
Coroner: Teen 5th killed by apparent serial killer
- National News
-
-
Judge gives Tenn. dog on death row a reprieve
The life of a mutt that's been on doggy death row for more than a year has been spared by a judge following an outcry from animal lovers and the acceptance of a last-ditch proposal to keep the dog alive.
-
Forecasters: Dangerous storms threaten Midwest
More than a dozen possible tornadoes were reported Saturday as forecasters warned residents across the nation's midsection to brace for "life-threatening" weather.
-
Secret Service scandal deepens; 11 placed on leave
An embarrassing scandal involving prostitutes and Secret Service agents deepened Saturday as 11 agents were placed on leave, and the agency designed to protect President Barack Obama had to offer regret for the mess overshadowing his diplomatic mission to Latin America.
-
Record Mega Millions numbers: 2-4-23-38-46, MB 23
The numbers drawn for Friday night's $640 million jackpost in Atlanta were 2-4-23-38-46, Mega Ball 23. Lottery officials expected to release details about possible winners a couple of hours after the 11 p.m. Eastern drawing.
-
Hundreds rally in NYC in memory of Trayvon Martin
The parents of a black teenager shot to death by a Hispanic neighborhood watch captain in Florida told demonstrators in New York they will keep fighting to get justice for their son.
-
Wife: 'Kony 2012' director suffers from psychosis
The wife of the film director who made a wildly popular video about brutal African warlord Joseph Kony says her husband has been diagnosed with brief reactive psychosis and is expected to stay in the hospital for weeks.
-
Stocks inch higher; Hartford soars on annuity news
Stocks are inching higher in early trading on Wall Street following a bumpy start to the week.
-
France shootings suspect holed up in building
A gunman claiming al-Qaida links and suspected in the killings of three Jewish schoolchildren, a rabbi and three paratroopers barricaded himself in an apartment building Wednesday. He is surrounded by hundreds of police officers and has stopped talking to negotiators.
-
Strong, long 7.6 quake shakes Mexico City
A strong, long 7.6 earthquake with an epicenter in Guerrero state shook central southern Mexico on Tuesday, swaying buildings in Mexico City and sending frightened workers and residents into the streets.
-
Could a U.S. Demjanjuk grave become neo-Nazi shrine?
If relatives of convicted Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk get what they want, their patriarch will be buried in suburban Cleveland — a prospect not sitting well with Jewish advocates who argue the retired autoworker could, in death, become a magnet for neo-Nazis.
- More National News Headlines
-
Judge gives Tenn. dog on death row a reprieve
Romney Campaigns Ahead of Claiming Nomination
Panetta: Asia the 'Project' for New Navy Grads
Witness Describes Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Man in Crane at Texas College Says He's Armed
Raw Video: Deadly Explosion at Minn. Paper Mill
Romney Promises World's Strongest Military
Obama Pays Tribute to Vietnam Veterans
Raw Video: Memorial Day Aboard Intrepid
Beryl Knocks Out Power in Florida
Raw Video: Cop Shoots Man Eating Another's Face
Obama Honors Fallen Troops at Arlington Cemetery
Raw Video: Obama Lays Wreath on Memorial Day
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Tropical Storm Beryl Strengthens, Nears US Coast
Raw Video: National Mall Concert Shut Down
Beryl Threatens Rain, Winds on Southeast Coast
