Lowcountry mother was strangled, police say. 7th person arrested in case

The missing mother who was found buried in the woods near her Walterboro home was strangled, according to a news release on Friday from the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office.

Earlier in the day, investigators looking into the disappearance and slaying of Ashley Murdaugh announced a seventh arrest related to the case.

The arrest, according to the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office, presents a “twist” in the case.

Shannon Fisk Steinbronn, 49, of Dorchester County, was charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer and obstruction of justice, said a news release from the Sheriff’s Office. She was arrested at 10 a.m. on Friday.

“Beginning on Aug. 19, 2018, and continuing through today, an unidentified female called multiple persons involved in the investigation, identifying herself as a SLED agent and law enforcement officer,” the Friday news release said.

It alleges calls were made to Murdaugh’s family members and potential witnesses in an attempt to discredit the Sheriff’s Office.

The calls “significantly hindered” the investigation, according to the release.

“The suspect even called the Colleton Medical Center ... in an attempt to obtain sensitive case details such as the victim’s blood type, injuries and manner of death, all before the victim’s remains had even been located,” the news release said.

Steinbronn was being held at the Colleton County Detention Center. A bond hearing was scheduled for Friday afternoon.

Woman missing for weeks

Murdaugh was first reported missing Aug. 8, according to the Associated Press.

The woman’s mother told Live 5 News on Aug. 14 that the family knew something was wrong with Murdaugh when she failed to pick up her check from work and didn’t call her 9-year-old son on his birthday.

Murdaugh’s body was found on Tuesday, Aug. 21.

The Associated Press reported that investigators believe she was killed on Aug. 5.

Previous arrests

The Colleton County Sheriff’s Office arrested other six people in relation to the case on Wednesday.

Cynthia Caron, 53; Martina Wolf, 30; and Alfred Taylor Jr., 23, were charged with first-degree murder.

John Dunigan, 53; Wayne Moore, 55; and Tammy Lott, 46, were charged with accessory after the fact of murder.

The Associated Press said Caron was Murdaugh’s landlord. Wolf is Caron’s daughter and Taylor is Wolf’s boyfriend.

Wolf and Taylor were Murdaugh’s roommates at the home where she had lived for two weeks before she was killed, the AP reported.

This story was originally published August 24, 2018 at 3:48 PM.