Lola Hurt and Melony Johnson were found dead outside their Shiloh-area home as authorities opened a double homicide investigation.
SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. — The shooting deaths of a mother and daughter have shaken a close-knit rural community in Sumter County, where neighbors watched investigators converge on a Pudding Swamp Road home after the women were found dead Wednesday.
Sumter County Coroner Robbie Baker identified the victims as Lola Hurt, 55, and her daughter, Melony Johnson, 41. Authorities said the women died from apparent gunshot wounds. The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office is treating both deaths as homicides and says investigators do not believe the case poses a wider danger to residents.
The women were found outside their residence in the Shiloh community. Baker said one body was discovered along the side of the home and the other in the backyard. Law enforcement officers remained in the area for hours after the discovery as investigators examined the property and began piecing together what happened.
Neighbor Rosalynne Kauffman said seeing the law enforcement response Wednesday afternoon was startling in a community where residents are familiar with one another. She described the reaction as “just total shock” and said the violence was unexpected in the area.
Chief Deputy Hampton Gardner of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office also acknowledged the effect the killings have had on the community and responding officers. He called the case traumatic and said such violence saddens both residents and the law enforcement agency called to investigate it.
Authorities believe the shooting happened sometime between Aug. 29 and Aug. 30, before the bodies were discovered Wednesday. Investigators reported no signs of forced entry at the residence. The sheriff’s office also said it has reason to believe Hurt and Johnson knew the person or people who killed them.
Detectives are examining multiple people of interest, Gardner said. Officials have not publicly identified those people, announced an arrest or disclosed a possible motive. Authorities also have not released details explaining how investigators concluded that the victims likely knew whoever was responsible.
The sheriff’s office has said it considers the violence an isolated incident and does not believe there is a larger threat to the community. Even so, the deaths have drawn attention in an area where neighbors described strong familiarity among residents and where the sudden police presence stood out Wednesday.
Autopsies for Hurt and Johnson are scheduled for Tuesday. Until then, the sheriff’s office and coroner’s office are continuing their investigation, with key questions about who killed the women and why remaining unanswered publicly.
Author note: Last updated Sept. 4, 2026.