Two men who shared a home off Chestnut Stump Road in rural Henderson County, S.C., were found dead in their front yard on Monday, each suffering an apparent gunshot wound, according to authorities. Deputies identified the victims as 29-year-old Sergio Reyes Ramos and 20-year-old Jose Danillo Martinez, both of whom lived at the residence. Officials say there is no threat to the public as the investigation continues.
According to FOX Carolina, deputies received a call about an unresponsive person lying in the yard of the home and arrived to find both men dead. The Henderson County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division responded to the scene, and the sheriff's office confirmed that an investigation is underway after the two were discovered dead in their front yard. The case remains pending, with FOX Carolina reporting that it plans to learn more as the investigation develops.
A Remote Setting Off the Beaten Path
The home sits in Henderson County. Some properties are described as unrestricted residential parcels of roughly 1.7 acres. Henderson County includes several municipalities. In this case, county sheriff's deputies responded.
The Henderson County Sheriff's Office's Criminal Investigations Division is investigating the case. The office also has a Victim Assistance Coordinator whose listed role includes liaising with victims, witnesses, deputies, the jail and the District Attorney's Office; the available information does not specify how detectives coordinate with prosecutors as cases proceed.
Firearms Remain a Persistent Factor in County Homicides
Gun violence has been a recurring theme in Henderson County's crime data. The available information does not verify the percentage of homicides involving firearms in Henderson County between 2013 and 2022. At the same time, firearm-related emergency department visits among county residents dropped 44% in 2024 compared to the prior year, with just five residents seeking emergency care for gun injuries that year, per the same state report.
According to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation's 2024 annual summary, the statewide violent-crime rate decreased 4.3 percent.
This is not the only shooting the sheriff's office has investigated recently. News13 reported that a shooting occurred on Corn Mountain Road in Hendersonville after deputies responded to a morning call, according to News13.
What Comes Next in the Investigation
Deputies have not released details on a suspect, a motive, or any weapon recovered from the scene, and those questions remain unresolved. The case remains pending, and no additional details about related prosecutions have been verified.
It remains unclear whether the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has assisted in this case.
If a suspect is charged, the available information does not provide a homicide classification or potential sentence. The available information does not establish which prosecutor would review any charges that emerge from the case. Murray cleared an officer in a March shooting earlier this month following a separate state investigation into a standoff in which Christopher Tarbox survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
