In the quiet community of Kershaw, South Carolina, a tragic story unfolded in February 2016, culminating in the death of 57-year-old Carolyn Marie Taurino. A woman described as a double amputee who used a wheelchair, her life was cut short in an act of violence within her own home on Flat Creek Road. For days, her absence went unnoticed by neighbors, who were largely unfamiliar with Taurino and her 36-year-old son, Robert Allen Hypes, with whom she lived.
The unsettling discovery of her death would only come to light after a series of seemingly unrelated events drew the attention of law enforcement.
The chain of events leading to the grim discovery began on a Wednesday when Hypes visited a local bank to inquire about his mother's account. His behavior was deemed suspicious by bank employees, who promptly alerted the authorities. Though Hypes left before deputies arrived, the bank provided them with surveillance images of him and the red Ford Econoline van he was driving. Later that afternoon, a deputy on patrol spotted the van and initiated a traffic stop for an equipment violation. During the interaction with Hypes, deputies were able to contact Taurino's sister, who lived out of state. She expressed concern, having not heard from her sister in several days, and requested a welfare check at the residence.
Responding to the request, deputies arrived at Taurino's home around 5 p.m. When no one answered the door, they forced entry and were met with a tragic scene. Taurino's body was found on the floor in a bedroom doorway; it was apparent she had been deceased for some time. The subsequent investigation and an autopsy would reveal the brutal nature of her death: Carolyn Marie Taurino had been shot multiple times. The Lancaster County Coroner later confirmed she had sustained seven gunshot wounds to the head from a. 22 caliber long rifle. Investigators worked through the night and into the early morning, spending over twelve hours processing the scene for evidence.
The investigation quickly focused on one primary suspect: her son, Robert Allen Hypes. He was taken into custody and, by the following morning, had been charged with the murder of his mother. Hypes was booked into the Lancaster County Detention Center and was subsequently denied bail. While authorities confirmed he was interviewed multiple times following his arrest, the details of any statements he may have made were not publicly disclosed. The motive for the killing was not immediately clear as investigators began the process of piecing together the family's background, with relatives expected to travel from as far as Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The case left the Kershaw community in shock, a quiet neighborhood suddenly at the center of a tragic and disturbing family crime.
