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Wednesday, December 20, 2006

[SC] Deputy Investigator Downie's Double-Tragedy - Marie & Ashleigh

Marie and Ashleigh Downie

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Richland County Sheriff's Investigator Terry Downie

DECEMBER 2006

A Richland County Investigator tried to run back into his burning home early Friday morning to rescue his wife and daughter, but was unable to save them... He could not get back into the home to get his wife and daughter, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said. "He has literally lost everything," Lott said. It remains unclear where and how the fire started, although investigators are calling it accidental. Investigator Terry Downie, his wife, Marie, and their 17-year-old daughter, Ashleigh were asleep at about 3 a.m. when Downie heard a noise and went to investigate...




...Marie Downie, 41, and daughter Ashleigh Downie died from smoke inhalation due to carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Kershaw County Coroner Johnny Fellers. Elgin Police Chief Harold Brown said Marie Downie's husband and Ashleigh's father - Terry Downie, 63 - was able to get out of the house and survived the fire...



...Kirk Stropes, head of emergency communications for Kershaw County, confirmed Sunday (Dec. 10) that Ashleigh called 911 from inside the house moments after it started. He said that when dispatchers called back, they determined she was still inside, but disoriented from the smoke...

...Both Marie and Ashleigh Downie were active with the Richland County Sheriff's Department. Marie Downie served as the first president of the Richland County Sheriff's Department Spouses Association and Ashleigh was a member of the department's Explorers post...

...According to the report, Terry Downie did not give a statement right away because of his smoke-inhalation injuries...

...Brown said Downie is a retired investigator who is now "working back with Richland County Sheriff's Office." He said Downie called law enforcement from Richland County, who arrived at the scene along with local deputies and Kershaw County Fire Marshal Gene Faulkenberry and Sheriff Steve McCaskill...

..."The incident is still under investigation," Brown said. "Because of the deaths involved, the fire marshal and I both agreed to call SLED in to do a complete investigation, even though we're very certain there was no foul play. We have no reason to think (there) is, but because of the fatalities, naturally we will investigate it fully."...

Marie and her brother
Marie Downie's MySpace page



The song that Marie had playing on her Myspace page is no longer playing through the page's music player because it's been "deleted by the artist" (Myspace-lingo), but at the time of her death the song she had playing there was "Unappreciated."


[From Lyrics]
I'm feeling really unappreciated. You're takin` my love for granted, babe. I don't know how much more, I can take from you. You don't do the things you use to do... And lately I've been feeling, feeling unappreciated...
You're takin' my love for granted, babe. I don't know how much more, I can take from you... Lately our house is not a home. You come in, take a shower, then say I'm gone. What am I to do when my heart says leave but my feet won't move?... I'm trying hard to give you another chance but ooh baby I'm feeling really unappreciated.... I don't know how much more, I can take from you... I still don't understand why you treat me like you do. I use to give in to your lust but now I see the truth. Oh no I don't want to hear it. I'm through...


Photobucket - Video and Image HostingAshleigh's MySpace page
~*~I ♥ Brandon~*~
"~*.`i WiLl LoVe YoU
tIlL tHe DaY tHaT i DiE.`.*


...Kershaw County Deputy Phil McCloud arrived first, within 3 minutes. According to the Kershaw County Sheriff's Office incident report, when McCloud arrived, the "house was fully involved by fire. (Terry Downie) was in his front yard stating that there (were) family members still inside of the residence." The report goes on to state that "Deputy McCloud made every attempt to rescue the trapped victims inside the residence; due to the severity of the fire, (he) could only control the area"... McCloud then sustained minor injuries trying to get Marie and Ashleigh Downie out of the burning home...

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...The young men helping to carry her casket were fellow explorers... Ashleigh was a senior at Lugoff-Elgin High School and also attended the Applied Technology Education Campus (ATEC), where she was named December Student of the Month in Health Science Technology...

...Kirk Stropes, head of emergency communications for Kershaw County, confirmed Sunday (Dec. 10) that Ashleigh called 911 from inside the house moments after it started. He said that when dispatchers called back, they determined she was still inside, but disoriented from the smoke. "My folks did everything they could possibly do to get her to get out of the house," said Stropes. "This is one of the bad parts of the job. It's really hit everyone hard." Stropes said McCloud pounded on the home's windows, trying to locate Ashleigh...

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...Downie prepared a speech, which the associate pastor read. In it, Downie remembered Marie as a devoted wife always there to help anyone in a time of need.... Ashleigh was just like her mother, many said she was a miniature Marie, he wrote. She went overboard in helping others...


[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder south carolina state politics usur unsolved unresolved]

10 comments:

  1. Across South Carolina
    From Wire Reports
    Sunday, December 10, 2006

    Investigator's wife, daughter die in fire

    COLUMBIA - The wife and daughter of a Richland County sheriff's investigator died after their Elgin house caught fire early Friday.

    Marie Downie, 41, and Ashley Downie, 17, died of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning, Kershaw County Coroner Johnnie Fellers said.

    Terry Downie, a 19-year veteran of the sheriff's office, tried to put the fire out, but the smoke and flames forced him outside. He could not get back into the home to get his wife and daughter, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said.

    http://chat.augustachronicle.com/stories/2006/12/10/met_107861.shtml

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm sorry , but something more happened than that . This wasn't an accident . and I'll prove it .

    ReplyDelete
  3. Please do.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Okay 'Anonymous':
    Nothing more happened- I don't know who posted this information on this website, but my family does not appreciate the comments or opinions. This case was exactly what you read- and nothing more. There was no fowl play involved. Marie and Ashleigh Downie are my relatives and I KNOW what happened. I HAVE THE FACTS, and I don't appreciate you posting your opinions that are CERTAINLY far-fetched, for others to receive clouded information. Please take down this site and remove all comments. If this were one of your loved ones, you would want the same. Out of respect of my family, please do so. I would also like to know who posted these pictures and articles. No one should have been on the property to take these pics, other than family, and I know you are not family.

    ReplyDelete
  5. maybe the bars shouldnt have been put on Ashleigh's window & all. i think its sketch that he happened to 'hear' something, went down to check it out, & then in a matter of a few minutes (because it doesnt take that long to check outside) the whole house is in a fire that he cant get through to save his family... i mean, seriously. i didnt even know the girl, but this whole thing is weird to me. The bars on the windows is what is really freaky. like it was planned out long before..

    ReplyDelete
  6. Just reading this site, and knowing the people and the family personally, please take this site down! There are disrespectful people, this was an accident.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ashleigh's boyfriend - from his MySpace page - at the time:
    http://www.myspace.com/cocacolalover89

    About me:
    Hey what's up my name is Brandon. I am a senior at Lugoff Elgin. I had the most beautiful girlfriend Ashleigh. I loved her and she loved me.I really loved her i don't know if i can make it without her I wish i could bring her back but i know i cant i just hope that there was no suffering I love her I will never forget her or how happy she made me i love Ashleigh Lauren Downie I am 17. I will be 18 on the 18 of March. wat wat. To Ashleigh, I love you baby. There is nothing i wouldn't do to have you back in my arms. this all feels like a dream. I wish i would have stayed on the phone later that night but i just got off work and i was so tired i just needed a little bit of rest. If i would have stayed on the phone like we always do then you proably wouldnt be where you are now which is a better place. I cant wait but i promise that i will I love you and I will see you on the other side you wait for me and i will wait for you. I love you my little bugger butt. Ha ha i just try to remember all the good times that we had together I love you and i want you to know again the last journal entry the night before you left us: December 7, 2006 Yesterday was the worst day of my life thats why i didnt write i have a major problem i get so jealous over all the guys that look at ashleigh they make me so mad. I care about her so much i ? Ash! :) I dont think she understands why i get so mad it tears me apart that i threatened her.It would kill me to brak up with her. she is such a great girlfriend. I just cant be happy and afraid that i am going to lose her. I think that me and Ashleigh are meant to be together but the past is giving me trouble i cant lose the only person in the world that has ever loved me. Please dont let me lose her. i am so graetful to be her boyfriend. I just dont know what to do. I am going to try to not be so jealous. I am going to trust her, But if she does something that will give no choice to break up with her, i love Ashleigh and I know that she loves me and I pray to go that we spend teh rest of our lives together. I know that we will make it. This guy told heer that when she moves in with me that it wouldnt work. I think people should mind their own business. This shit pisses me off. I love her and I dont care what anybody else thinks we are perfect fo reach other and will stay together for the rest of our lives -Brandon- Thats the last thing i read to her that night when we got off the phone she was going to read me what she wrote in the morning but i guess i'll never no. I knew she loved me and even though she is not with us anymore she is still my girlfriend because i promised her we will be together for ever.



    I lost my grilfriend and best friend at the same time
    Saturday, December 09, 2006
    I love Ashleigh and i know that she loved me, but we were meant to be together for a long time. It wasnt supposed to end this way we had plans for our future. I feell so lost in this world without Ashleigh. I love her and will never forget her. She will remain with me forever.
    http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=29326394&blogID=203325237&MyToken=d8ec9fa4-87e6-4a70-8b37-57898a19db73

    ReplyDelete
  8. The Myspace pages are no longer there now since it was sold to Justin Timberlake for a music site, but at the time the person who had this account wrote this

    http://www.myspace.com/kissmytears

    R.I.P. Ashleigh.. I will always love you. I can still hear you laughing in my head, and it kills me. We would always talk to each other about how we wondered what the world would be like if one of us was missing.. would people notice? would they care? would they miss us?.. Well what i told you all those times was True Ashleigh. We miss you so much.. I miss you so much i cant sleep. I don't want to eat anymore.. i don't want to live. The world just sucks without you. You are such an amazing person. I don't see why you had to go.. why not me?.. if i could find that bastard God i would trade something with him. I would tell him that if he made sure that You were in heaven that i would go to hell.. just as long as you would be happy and safe. I have already met the person i want to meet. I cant have her.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That myspace address now belongs to a Phillip George. Whether that is who the page belonged to at the time or whether it's a real name only local people would know.

      Delete
  9. Sad sad sad

    ReplyDelete

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