In the early hours of May 7, 2025, a concerned individual alerted the Sumter County Dispatch to an unresponsive man at a residence on Dink Street. Responding sheriff's deputies and Emergency Medical Services arrived at the home to a grim discovery. Inside, they found 43-year-old Robert Dustin Burleson, a male resident of Sumter, deceased from what appeared to be gunshot wounds.
The Sumter County Coroner, Robbie Baker, later confirmed that Burleson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Known affectionately as 'Dusty,' Burleson was a Sumter native who had a passion for art and drawing. He was described as a kind and sweet-spirited individual who was accepting of everyone he met. For several years, he worked as a carpenter alongside his father. His family remembered him as a loving son, brother, and uncle who would be deeply missed. An autopsy was scheduled to be performed at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston to officially determine the cause of death.
The investigation into Burleson's death quickly led authorities to a suspect. On the very same day that Burleson's body was discovered, the Sumter County Sheriff's Office, with the assistance of their emergency response team and narcotics unit, executed a search warrant at the home of 44-year-old Michael William Dow. Dow was subsequently arrested and taken into custody without incident.
Authorities believe that the motive behind the killing was a personal dispute between the two men. Sheriff Anthony Dennis stated that evidence indicated Dow had broken into Burleson's home and shot him. Investigators are confident that Dow acted alone in the commission of the crime. As a result of the investigation, Michael William Dow was charged with murder, first-degree burglary, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and trafficking in cocaine. He is currently being held without bond at the Sumter County Sheriff's Office Detention Center. While an arrest has been made, the investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.
