Officials Hope for New Evidence in Liberty Shootings

There was a gun, a note, plenty of blood, and one survivor. Exactly what happened early in the morning on Oct. 14 that left four family members dead in two Liberty homes remains a mystery, but police hope science will shed new light on the tragedy.

Officials are waiting on a series of scientific tests that they hope will bring closure or new leads in the violent deaths of the Hendricks family. Mark Wayne Hendricks, 52, Marshall Wayne Hendricks, 20, Matthew Wayne Hendricks, 23, and Linda Ann Burns, 64, were found dead by police in two homes on Pindedale Drive in Liberty after a 911 call was placed by a family member.

"We're very hopeful that we'll have something to report this week," Assistant Pickens County Sheriff Tim Morgan said. "We're waiting on just about every type of lab test."

Officials are waiting on ballistic tests, gun stain residue tests, toxicology reports, and DNA tests from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

"It will be weeks before we have anything from the toxicology tests," Pickens County Coroner Kandy Kelley.

A preliminary autopsy report ruled three of the deaths as homicides and one remains under investigation. All four family members were killed by gunshot wounds.

An incident report from the Sheriff's Department obtained by Patch said police received a 911 emergency call from Evelyn Burns on Friday (Oct. 14) morning reporting a possible suicide at a home at 236 Pinedale Road. 

The first deputy to arrive at the scene was approached by Burns who was described as "very emotional" and said she told him that her "whole family was dead."

Police found a trail of blood leading from the front door into the living room of the home and two dead family members inside the home.

Matthew Hendricks, 23, was found lying on a bed in the rear bedroom of the home with a gunshot wound to the side of his head. A handgun was lying on the bedside table next to him, the report said. Morgan said Susan Hendricks had picked the gun up off the floor and placed it on the table.

A trail of blood also led from the rear bedroom to a second bedroom where Linda Burns was found bleeding from a gunshot wound to the torso.

Susan told police that she had been home all night and hadn't heard any gunshots but that she discovered a note Matthew had left on the kitchen counter. The contents of the note have not been released.

When Hendricks first discovered her two dead family members she called her sister, Linda Burns. When Burns arrived she called police to report the deaths.

Mark Hendricks and his other son Marshall were found dead in the home next door.

Based on initial investigation and testimony, the deaths were thought to be a murder/suicide at the hand of Matthew Hendricks. However, both the Sheriff's Department and Coroner's office have not concluded anything for sure.

When hundreds of friends and family of the four dead family members gathered for a candlelight vigil at the old Liberty High School football stadium, the participants shared in the disbelief that Matthew Hendricks would have killed his brother, father, and step-grandmother.

Marshall's girlfriend, Kelsie Brewer, told Patch she had been at the home with the three men the night before and saw no signs of discontent.

Oct. 14 wasn't the first time the Sheriff's Department was dispatched for a shooting to the Hendricks' property. Morgan said Susan Hendricks had been investigated for killing an intruder at the Pinedale Drive home in 2006, but she was never charged. 

The shootings, which took place over a week ago, remain unsolved while investigators wait for test results before moving forward with any investigation. Morgan hopes that will change by the end of the week.