Woman and man wanted for multiple armed robberies found dead in motel, SC cops say
The bodies of a man and woman wanted for their roles in multiple armed robberies were discovered in a South Carolina motel by law enforcement officers who were attempting to arrest them, the Florence County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
Florence County Coroner Keith Von Lutcken identified the woman as Chauntress Evelyn Like, a 21-year-old from Westerville, Ohio, and the man as 25-year-old Donovan McMillan of Hartsville, South Carolina, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
Like and McMillan were wanted for three armed robberies in Florence County, and investigators said the pair might be responsible for 22 more armed robberies in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia, the sheriff’s office said.
On Friday, sheriff’s deputies and members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force tracked down Like and McMillan at the Suburban Extended Stay Motel, the sheriff’s office said.
After knocking and announcing their presence, two gunshots were heard from inside the motel room, according to the release.
In spite of multiple tries, the officers were unsuccessful in making contact with the people in the room and called for the SWAT team, the sheriff’s office said.
When the SWAT team entered the room, Like and McMillan were found dead, the sheriff’s office said.
Although the sheriff’s office said no deputies or U.S. Marshals fired their guns, Sheriff TJ Joye asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to lead an investigation, according to the release.
Information on Like and McMillan’s causes of death was not made available, but the coroner’s office has ordered autopsies for both, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office said that Like and McMillan were responsible for armed robberies in Florence County at a CVS Pharmacy on Nov. 6, 2020; a Food Lion grocery store on Jan. 23; and at an Aldi grocery store on Feb. 5.
There was no word from the sheriff’s office on a timeline or the locations of the other 22 armed robberies believed to involve Like and McMillan.
Information on how law enforcement located the pair at the motel was not available.
