ELLERBE — The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has identified the remains found just after Christmas in the northern end of the county.
According to a post made on social media Jan. 6, the remains were those of 75-year-old Roxanne Lousie Shrewsbury.
Deputies reportedly responded to Shrewsbury’s home on Concord Church Road, northwest of Ellerbe, on Dec. 26 for a welfare check requested by one of her friends who had been “unable to establish contact, demonstrating the power of community care.”
The door of the home was reportedly unlocked and deputies performed a sweep, “ transitioning the incident into a missing-person investigation with hope and determination.”
The sheriff’s office says human remains were found on the property, but the post doesn’t indicate if they were found inside or outside the home.
Those remains were reportedly identified as Shrewsbury’s by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner's South Piedmont Regional Autopsy Center in Union County.
According to the sheriff’s office, Shrewsbury died of natural causes, with no evidence of foul play.
“Sheriff Mark Gulledge extends his sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Mrs. Shrewsbury,” the post concludes, “holding them in hope and strength during this difficult time.”
