In the quiet early days of the new year, a grim discovery was made behind a furniture marketplace in Indian Land, South Carolina. On the morning of January 5, 2026, the body of 74-year-old Gary Herendeen, a white male, was found by a delivery person in the parking lot behind The Designers Marketplace on Yarborough Road. Herendeen, a part-time employee of the store for nearly five years, was found deceased near his white Chevrolet van, having suffered from apparent gunshot wounds.
The business had been closed for the holidays, and it was unclear how long he had been there.
Herendeen was known by his colleagues as a positive and helpful person, always willing to lend a hand with deliveries, assembly, or any other task that was needed. He would sometimes sleep in his van behind the business. It is believed he was doing so in the early morning hours of January 2nd when the fatal incident occurred.
The investigation into the homicide was a collaborative effort between the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office, the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Authorities quickly determined that the act was not random and that there was no ongoing danger to the community. Their investigation led them to a suspect in Charlotte, North Carolina.
On Friday, January 9, 2026, just four days after the discovery of Herendeen's body, 44-year-old Calvin Lamarr Allen of Charlotte was arrested and charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. Investigators revealed that Allen and Herendeen were acquaintances who had previously lived in the same boarding house in Charlotte and had a "falling out." Authorities allege that Allen drove from Charlotte to Indian Land and shot Herendeen multiple times. Allen was taken into custody without incident and awaits extradition to South Carolina to face the charges against him. A conviction for murder in South Carolina carries a sentence of 30 years to life in prison.
