On a tragic Tuesday afternoon in Columbia, South Carolina, the life of 53-year-old Annie Christinal Pushpanathan came to a violent end. On May 26, 2026, police were dispatched to a residence in the 3000 block of Barnes Springs Road in the Forest Acres area to conduct a welfare check, a call prompted by a concerned family member. Upon their arrival at approximately 3:40 p.m., officers found the entrance to the home obstructed and were forced to make their way inside.
There, they made the grim discovery of Pushpanathan's body; she had sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
Inside the residence with Pushpanathan was 67-year-old Kenneth Dwain Benton. He was identified by authorities as the suspect in her death. When officers encountered Benton, they initiated contact with him through hostage negotiators. Within an hour, they were able to persuade him to surrender. However, upon taking him into custody, they discovered that Benton had what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, an injury police believe he sustained before their arrival. Benton was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment, but he succumbed to his injuries and died on Thursday, May 28, 2026.
The investigation into the deaths of Pushpanathan and Benton led the Forest Acres Police Department to classify the case as a suspected murder-suicide. While the investigation remains ongoing, preliminary evidence points to this tragic conclusion. It was also revealed that officers had been called to the residence on five previous occasions between 2015 and 2021 for complaint calls involving both Pushpanathan and Benton. In each of those instances, there was insufficient evidence to proceed with prosecution, and both individuals declined the resources that were offered to them for assistance. This case serves as a heartbreaking illustration of the devastating consequences of domestic violence, culminating in the loss of two lives and leaving a community to mourn.
