SPARTANBURG COUNTY, SC — A quiet neighborhood was shattered Friday when authorities discovered three family members dead inside their Marilyn Perry Lane home. The Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as 9-year-old Samantha Samarel, her mother Lina Maria Samarel, 45, and father Richard Samarel, 54, in what investigators are treating as a homicide case.
The grim discovery occurred around 11:30 a.m. after a concerned neighbor alerted deputies to suspicious circumstances at the Reidville Road residence. First responders arrived to find the victims deceased in what sources describe as a violent scene. Officials estimate the deaths occurred within a narrow window between 10:20 a.m. and 11:29 a.m., while other family members were away at school.
Sheriff’s investigators have assured the public there is no ongoing threat, suggesting this was a targeted incident rather than a random act of violence. Crime scene technicians spent hours processing the property Friday afternoon, removing multiple evidence bags from the single-family home in this typically tranquil suburban neighborhood.
The tragedy has left the Dorman School District community reeling, as young Samantha was a third-grade student at a local elementary school. Crisis counselors were deployed to support grieving classmates and staff. “She was a bright light in our classroom,” said Principal Marcia Thompson, her voice breaking during a press conference.
Authorities remain tight-lipped about potential suspects or motives, though sources indicate detectives are examining the family’s personal and professional relationships. An autopsy scheduled for Monday at the Spartanburg Medical Examiner’s Office should reveal crucial details about the manner and cause of death.
As the investigation continues, the Sheriff’s Office urges anyone with information about the Samarel family’s recent activities to contact their tip line. Neighbors have organized a candlelight vigil for Sunday evening at Reidville Park, where the tight-knit community will mourn a family remembered as quiet but friendly pillars of their neighborhood.
