Six people found dead in house fire that’s being investigated as murder, SC sheriff says

Six people were found dead and another was critically injured following a fire at a South Carolina home that’s being investigated as murder, the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday night.

At about 11 a.m., deputies responded to a fire at a house on Folly Creek Lane in Green Pond, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

The Colleton County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the six victims who died, and information about their causes of death was not available.

After being discovered, the one surviving victim was taken to a local hospital, according to the release. The sheriff’s office said the surviving victim is in critical condition, but further information about their status was not available.

Ryan Lenard Manigo, 33, was charged with attempted murder in connection to the surviving victim, according to the release. The sheriff’s office said additional charges are pending the victims’ identifications and autopsy results.

There was no word how the sheriff’s office connected Manigo to the fire, or how the blaze was determined to be an intentional criminal act.

Manigo is being held at the Colleton County Detention Center while awaiting a bond hearing, jail records show.

Despite the arrest, the investigation is ongoing and the sheriff’s office asks anyone with information to call 843-549-2211.

In addition to the sheriff’s office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s arson team is assisting with the investigation.