Man charged with murder after a body was found in an SC home, sheriff says
Days after a man’s body was found inside of his South Carolina home another man was arrested on multiple charges, including murder, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
Michael William Dow, a 44-year-old Sumter resident, was also charged with trafficking in cocaine, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and first-degree burglary when he was arrested May 7, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
The charges stem from the shooting death of 43-year-old Sumter County resident Robert Dustin Burleson, according to the release.
At about 5 a.m. on May 7, a shooting happened at 24 Dink Street, according to the Sumter County Coroner’s Office. That’s in Sumter, in the area between U.S. 15 and U.S. 521.
Burleson died at the scene from injuries he sustained from a gunshot wound, Coroner Robbie Baker said.
No other injuries were reported.
“We believe Dow acted alone in the tragic murder of Mr. Burleson,” Sheriff Anthony Dennis said in the release. “Evidence indicates that Dow broke into Burleson’s home and shot him during a personal dispute between the two men.”
Dow was later found at his home and taken into custody without incident, the sheriff’s office said.
He was taken to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center, where he is being held without bond.
Despite the arrest, the investigation into Burleson’s death is ongoing, the sheriff’s office said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 803-436-2000, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit a tip online.
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This story was originally published May 11, 2025 at 9:32 AM with the headline "Man charged with murder after a body was found in an SC home, sheriff says."
