In the fall of 2017, the quiet community of Blythewood in northeast Richland County was shaken by the tragic death of Sarah Marie Alexander, a 47-year-old female. On the evening of Thursday, October 26th, deputies from the Richland County Sheriff's Department responded to a call of shots fired at a home on Patterdale Road. Upon their arrival, they discovered the bodies of Sarah and her husband, 50-year-old Christopher Columbus Alexander.
Subsequent investigation by the Richland County
Coroner's Office determined that Sarah Marie Alexander died from a gunshot wound. Her death was ruled a homicide. The investigation concluded that she was shot by her husband in a murder-suicide. Christopher Columbus Alexander died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Sarah was remembered as a loving and energetic woman with a heart of gold. She had served in the U.S. Army for eight years before pursuing a career in nursing. She earned a bachelor's degree in nursing and a master's degree in health administration. At the time of her death, she was a respected nurse manager at the VA Medical Hospital in Columbia. Her friends and family recalled her beautiful smile and her kind and compassionate nature. She was a mother to a daughter and was actively involved in her church and community, where she enjoyed sports, traveling, and mentoring youth.
