Authorities identified the man who died as Edwin Larry Burns Jr., 41; a woman from the home remains hospitalized in critical condition.
BELTON, S.C. — Anderson County deputies say they found one person dead and another seriously injured after answering a welfare check about 10 p.m. Tuesday at a house on Sherwood Drive. The woman was taken to Greenville Memorial Hospital while the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The coroner identified the man as Edwin Larry Burns Jr., 41, and ruled the manner of death a homicide. Investigators said preliminary information shows the two people involved were a couple who lived at the address. As of Wednesday, no arrests had been announced and detectives had not publicly identified a suspect. The sheriff’s office said it does not believe there is an ongoing threat to the wider community, and the case remains an active investigation with additional updates expected this week.
Deputies said they went to the Sherwood Drive home for a welfare check requested by someone who could not reach the residents. Inside, first responders found Burns unresponsive and the woman with stab wounds. EMS crews declared Burns dead and began treating the woman before transporting her to Greenville Memorial Hospital for emergency care. “There is no indication of a broader public danger tied to this incident,” the sheriff’s office said, noting that detectives secured the home overnight and began collecting evidence and taking statements from neighbors.
Authorities have not released the woman’s name, citing her medical condition and ongoing notifications to family. Officials also did not immediately say what weapon was used, how many wounds were documented or whether any 911 calls were made earlier in the evening. Preliminary findings point to a domestic context, according to investigators, but they stressed that all possibilities remain under review until interviews are complete and the coroner issues a final report. The coroner’s office said additional laboratory work, including toxicology, is pending.
The house sits in a residential area near downtown Belton in Anderson County, where marked patrol units and crime-scene tape were visible well past midnight as technicians moved in and out with evidence bags and cameras. Neighbors described a heavy response by deputies and medical crews. One resident, who would only give her first name, said she saw “lights up and down Sherwood” and watched investigators talk with people on porches. Deputies did not release information about prior calls for service to the address, and officials did not say whether any children live at the home.
Detectives plan to keep the scene secured until all measurements and photographs are complete, then continue interviews with family, neighbors and any acquaintances who had recent contact with the couple. If an arrest is made, the sheriff’s office said booking documents would be released and a magistrate would set bond at the Anderson County Detention Center. The agency said it expects to provide another public update once next-of-kin notifications are completed and when doctors give a new assessment of the woman’s condition at Greenville Memorial Hospital, part of Prisma Health.
By late Wednesday, investigators still had not announced a suspect. The coroner has listed the case as a homicide and deputies say they are working to build a complete timeline from the welfare check request to the discovery inside the Sherwood Drive home. A further update is expected after the coroner’s report and additional interviews are complete.
Author note: Last updated January 11, 2026.