‘A horrific thing.’ SC police seek answers after Chester barber found in burning car
In the barber chair Israel Abram Bunting V used for work at Razors barbershop in Chester, no one will get a haircut this week.
Nobody got their hair cut in the chair last week, either.
A picture of Bunting, 44, sits at his workstation in the shop on the J.A. Cochran Bypass. Police found him dead in his car on a rural road outside Chester on Nov. 30.
The reminders will remain at the shop until authorities determine how he died and whether Bunting died from foul play, said the shop’s owner, James Simpson.
“What happened to him is a horrific thing,” Simpson said. “My prayer is law enforcement won’t let this case go cold.”
Firefighters who responded Nov. 30 to a burning 2004 Lexus on Turnbuckle Road outside the city limits called Chester deputies after finding the body. Chester deputies then called South Carolina state police, who have arson specialists.
Bunting’s death remains a mystery. Officials have not said if his death is a crime, or why Bunting’s car burned.
Over the weekend, the State Law Enforcement Division posted a public plea for information from the public about the case on its social media pages. Spokesperson Renee Wunderlich said SLED’s investigation is ongoing.
SLED has not released any other details about the case after Bunting’s body was found in the burning car.
Chester County autopsy
An autopsy done last week has not yet determined how Bunting died, or if he was dead before the fire started, said Terry Tinker, Chester County Coroner. Testing is ongoing, Tinker said.
Simpson and others in Chester are asking people to help police figure out what happened.
“We just hope that anyone who knows anything will call law enforcement and help,” Simpson said.
Michael Halsey, a Bunting family friend and Chester civic activist, asked for the public to help law enforcement do its job and solve the case.
Loved ones created a Facebook page devoted to finding justice for Bunting. The page shows SLED’s public request for people to call with information.
“He was a humble man, a nice man,” Halsey said of Bunting. “We hope people do the right thing and help the police.”
The funeral for Bunting is set for Friday at 2 p.m at Brown’s Chapel AME Zion Church, according to King’s Funeral Home.
Anyone with information about the case of Israel Abram Bunting V can call SLED at 803-896-2605 or email tips@sled.sc.gov, or contact the Chester County Sheriff’s Office at 803-581-5131. Information can be left anonymously.
