The mother and son of a prominent Irish-American family in South Carolina were found dead at their Islandton home last Monday after suffering multiple gunshot wounds.
Maggie Mardaugh, 52, and her 22-year-old son Paul were found dead near a dog kennel at their sprawling rural estate in Islandton, a small town in central South Carolina with approximately 70 residents.
The bodies were found by Alex Mardaugh - the husband and father of Maggie and Paul. Alex is a prominent attorney in South Carolina and told authorities that he was not home at the time of the murders.
He told the Colleton County Sheriff's Office that he was out at the time of the shooting and found the bodies when he returned to the 174-acre estate at around 10 p.m. on Monday, June 7.
Few details of the murders have been made public and no arrests have been made as of Sunday morning.
Paul Mardaugh was facing trial for the death of 19-year-old University of South Carolina student Mallory Beach in a boating crash in 2019. Paul was allegedly operating the boat at the time of Beach's death.
The 22-year-old was facing three felony counts for boating under the influence at the time of the crash.
It is thought that Paul was the target of Monday's shooting and that his mother was caught in the crossfire, according to local South Carolina publication the Island Packet.
However, the report said that it remains unclear whether the shooting was linked to Paul Mardaugh's involvement in the 2019 boating crash.
The Island Packet reports that Paul was shot twice with a shotgun, while his mother was murdered with an assault rifle.
Both Paul and Maggie Mardaugh were laid to rest on Friday in the Hampton Cemetery in Hampton, South Carolina.
Hundreds of mourners, including law enforcement and public officials, attended the joint ceremony.
Paul's grandfather, Randolph Mardaugh III, died at the age of 81 on Thursday and will be buried alongside his grandson and daughter-in-law in the coming days.
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