Wednesday the Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher stated 63-year-old Bessie Durham was discovered dead soon after 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 19.
Durham’s body was located in the public rest room in the Belk mall. Surveillance footage demonstrated her entering the restroom on Sept. 15, around 7 a.m., and it was not seen exiting.
An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 22 at MUSC in Charleston. Fisher stated foul play isn’t suspected at the moment.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE
A 63-year-old lady named Bessie Durham, who labored like a janitor in the Belk mall was discovered dead within the department store’s public bathroom.
Everybody Durham was last seen on Thursday by another worker but her body was not discovered until Monday night.
For four days, Durham’s body went undetected in the public rest room throughout a busy shopping weekend. WIS spoke to some couple of people in the region today, and they’re asking exactly the same questions we’re asking…that is how.
“There are lots of questions that should be clarified,” stated Beverly Stroman who resides in Columbia.
That’s the response from individuals who were shopping close to the mall Tuesday mid-day after learning a lady died within the department store’s bathroom Monday night.
“I only agreed to be there yesterday… if I’d gone within the rest room, that we usually perform a lot, you realize, I do not know, that’s just terrible,” stated Wheeler.
Deputy Chief Melron Kelly using the Columbia Police Department states the household of Durham hadn’t talked to her for four days and really visited the station to file for military services weapons person’s report.
“We were with your family going for a missing person’s report, and when i was on scene and did just a little investigating, we did uncover the individual deceased in the Belk,” stated Deputy Chief Melron Kelly, Columbia Police Department.
Belk issued the next statement:
First of all, we send our greatest condolences towards the group of the housekeeping affiliate who had been utilized by KBS, which supplies cleaning services at our Columbiana Center location. At the moment, we’re dealing with KBS to look for the details around what went down. We’ve also made counselors open to Belk and KBS associates seeking support.
“You question why the shoppers missed it and report it, but what you know already, the workers if she’s still around the clock, knows might go and determine where she was,” stated Stroman.
And that’s exactly what the information investigating, why and just how nobody observed Durham, however with the analysis continuing, criminal charges could be possible.
“We’re working using the store to discover what their process would be to closing lower the shop, inspecting the shop and things like that,” stated Deputy Chief Kelly.
Chief Kelly states they’ll continue to utilize the employers and also the mall to verify when Durham was last seen, and they’ll work using the Lexington County Coroner to find out just when she died.
WIS did consult with the coroner who told us there have been also no warning signs of drug abuse. An autopsy is scheduled for in a few days.