A West Columbia, South Carolina chiropractor and his longtime partner were both found deceased in their home on July 21, 2020.
According to the local news, Dr. James Greg Bonham, 63, was a respected member of the Irmo area of Lexington County. He and his longtime companion Lisa Marie McCartha, 46, were both found deceased in their home. Their bodies were discovered after McCartha’s sister got concerned when she and her mother were unable to reach McCartha for almost a week, which was very unusual.
On Wednesday, July 29, their mother went to the home herself to check on her daughter but was unable to get anyone to come to the door. She became more worried and expressed that to McCartha’s sister.
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After speaking with their mother again, the sister took some time during her lunch on July 31 to go by the couple’s home on Glen Rose Court to check on her sister’s well-being. No one came to the door when she arrived, but she could see through a glass that the couple’s dogs were running loose in the home. Animal feces were visible across the home’s interior, which she said was totally out of character for her sister. The sister discovered the door was unlocked, entered the home, and found her sister in the kitchen. She appeared to be dead. The sister then retreated out of the house and called 911.
Deputies from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department responded to the residence and confirmed the couple was deceased. Those deputies notified their headquarters and Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher’s office, secured the scene, and waited until detectives from the Major Crimes Unit and the Crime Scene Unit arrived. They turned the crime scene over to those investigators.
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No motive for the shooting has been released. Coroner Fisher’s office worked beside detectives in this investigation. Her office makes the final determination as to the cause and manner of death as well as all official notifications, stating:
After a full and thorough investigation into the matter, it was determined that Dr. Bonham shot and killed McCartha before turning the gun on himself. It was also determined that the couple had died on or near July 25th, six days prior to the day their bodies were discovered.
Bonham and McCartha had been romantically involved for nearly eight years and lived together in a home on Glen Rose Court in the Coldstream area of Lexington County.
We don’t know the circumstances surrounding these tragic deaths, and can’t confirm that it was a murder-suicide because we weren’t there. Our heart goes out to their friends and family during this extremely difficult time.
