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Lexington County man's body found dumped in Edgefield County

Edgefield, SC (Paul Kirby) – The body of a Lexington County man was recovered from a creek in Edgefield County earlier this week. The police say they found the man’s body placed in a barrel and dumped after receiving a tip. 

According to a report from the Edgefield County Sheriff's Department, they got a tip from a citizen who lived close to a creek. That person said they heard voices they believed were men talking followed by a gunshot earlier in the day. The resident thought that someone might be attempting to poach deer at night and called law enforcement officials. Then, while waiting for deputies to arrive, the tipster drove to a nearby bridge that crosses a creek to see if there were any signs of a poached deer's remains. Instead of locating an animal carcass, the citizen discovered a barrel under the bridge in the creek.  

The tipster did not know what was in the barrel but showed it to Edgefield County sheriff's deputies and wardens with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources when they arrived. Those officers manhandled the barrel from the creek before they eventually realized that there was a body stuffed inside it. 

The Edgefield County coroner’s office has now identified Thomas Lee Gainey, 60, of Lexington County as the victim. Edgefield County Coroner David Burnett's office said they believe that Gainey was dead between 24 and 48 hours prior to being put in the barrel and dumped in the creek. They have not released the cause of Gainey's death at this time. 

Investigators with the Edgefield County Sheriff's Department are attempting to locate anyone who spent time with or knows anything about Gainey’s movements leading up to the discovery of his remains. They are asking anyone who has information about Gainey's death to notify Midlands Crime Stoppers at 1-888 CRIME SC. You can also make online tips at www.midlandscrimestoppers.com. Just navigate to the submit a tip tab. You can also download Crime Stoppers’ new P3 app in either App Store and make your tips through that. Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for up to a $1000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of someone in this case.






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