Neighbors ‘shellshocked’ after 3 die in Augusta murder-suicide

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Three people are dead after an alleged double murder-suicide on Sunday afternoon, according to authorities.

Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen released two of the names late Monday morning:

• Carmen Ray – 77 years old from Augusta
• Sheri Methvin – 55 years old from Augusta

A positive identification hasn’t been made of the third body.

The coroner said it could take time before his office releases the name of the third victim in the double murder-suicide.

Neighbors express shock

Neighbors on the quiet road said they are trying to make sense of what happened.

“Shellshocked for sure. A hundred percent shellshocked,” said August Johnson, second shift manager at Savin Haven. “It’s just crazy. Like I never, you never think that things like this can happen where you live and then it does.”

The incident comes less than a month after deputies responded to a hit and run at the corner of Bennock Mill Road and Horshoe Road.

“It kinda shocked me, you know. Since that girl up here just got run over two weeks ago,” said Wayne Johnson, who lives nearby. “And we don’t have enough police out here. They need to come write speeding tickets out here because people comes up and down this road, 80, 85 miles an hour, and traffic comes up down this road all during the night, all hours of the night.”

Neighbors said they are left with unanswered questions and said their neighborhood will never be the same.

Bowen’s office responded to the 600 block of Bennock Mill Road at 1:04 p.m. Sunday in reference to three deaths.

Upon arrival, three bodies were found inside the residence, officials say.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office said initial investigations indicate the incident is a double murder-suicide among family members.

The sheriff’s criminal investigations division and crime scene unit also responded to the residence.

Autopsies have been scheduled.

Officials say there is no danger to the public.

This would mark the CSRA’s fourth murder-suicide in 2025.

On April 8, officials said they found a married couple dead in their home on Springwood Drive; both had gunshot wounds.

On March 28, authorities say 71-year-old Keith Jones shot his girlfriend, 67-year-old Kathy Hydrick, and then turned the gun on himself at their home on Walnut Court.

On April 4, the Saluda County Sheriff’s Office announced that a deadly shooting at Valley Proteins Inc. was confirmed as a murder-suicide.

While each story is different, and we don’t know the circumstances surrounding this most recent case, there are local groups working to teach others about the warning signs.