Homicide-Suicide in Anderson County

A welfare check on Mauldin Circle in Iva, Anderson County, escalated into a death investigation when deputies discovered Betty Marie Grindstaff, 44, and Ernest Eldridge Pelfrey, 34, both from Iva, dead from gunshot wounds in a camper around 1 p.m. on Sunday. Preliminary findings suggest that Pelfrey, who was in a relationship with Grindstaff, shot her before committing suicide. The case is currently being treated as a homicide-suicide by the Anderson Co. Sheriff’s Office and the Anderson Co. Office of the Coroner. Officials have reassured the community that this was an isolated incident and poses no further threat.