On the evening of January 17, 2015, in Yemassee, South Carolina, 44-year-old Melissa Lynn Rauch was tragically killed in her home. A female, Rauch was discovered by her boyfriend at their Riley Street residence. He had left for a short errand and returned approximately 30 minutes later to find the front door ajar. Inside, he found Rauch on the bedroom floor next to her wheelchair; she had been fatally shot in the head.
The investigation into the death of Melissa Lynn Rauch led law
enforcement to identify a suspect, Donald Rogers Simmons Jr., who was 27 years old at the time of the incident and also a resident of Yemassee. Simmons was subsequently arrested and charged with her murder. Following his arrest, a judge set a bond for Simmons, which he posted, allowing for his release from custody pending trial. This decision caused considerable distress to Rauch's family. While out on bond, Simmons removed his ankle monitor and fled, becoming a fugitive.
In May 2017, after a period of being in hiding, Donald Rogers Simmons Jr. was located and apprehended by U.S. Marshals and the Colleton County Sheriff's Office at a home in Walterboro. He was taken back into custody to face the charges related to Rauch's death. In May 2019, Simmons appeared in Hampton County General Sessions Court and pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. As a result of his plea, he was sentenced to 27 years in prison for the killing of Melissa Lynn Rauch. The prosecution of the case was handled by the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office's Career Criminal Unit.
