A Cordova man was charged with arson Tuesday after a woman's body was found in the remains of his home.

Oscar Beecher McDowell, 28, of 261 Blewer Road, Cordova, was arrested and charged with arson in the burning of his residence. The body of Ruby Thompson, 31, of the same address, was found in the house.

"We are waiting for the autopsy results from the woman's body," Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams said. "Then we can determine whether there will be additional charges."

Deputies were dispatched to the 261 Blewer Road home in Cordova shortly after 9 a.m. Richard McDowell, the father of Oscar McDowell, told the dispatcher there had been a homicide at the residence and his son was armed and inside the house, according to an OCSO incident report.

Five deputies responded to the scene. One of the deputies had been called to the residence before and knew that the driveway to the property was blocked by a locked gate. He had all the units meet at the Cordova Post Office so they could go in as a group, since they had to walk onto the property, according to the incident report.

"As the officers approached the residence, they heard something that sounded like a big gunshot or an explosion," Williams said. "They were only about 40 or 50 feet from the house, so they retreated and the house was engulfed in flames."

Along with the explosion, the deputies could hear the sound of breaking glass coming from the direction of the house. Shortly after the explosion, Oscar McDowell emerged from the house and was immediately detained, according to the report.

As the deputies detained Oscar McDowell, his father emerged from a wooded area near the house. The incident report states that he told a deputy he arrived at the house after 8 a.m. Tuesday and his son told him that the woman was dead and they needed to get rid of the body and burn down the house.

The report states that Richard McDowell told a deputy the woman's face looked like it was melted and then said, "I didn't know a gun would do that."

Units from Canaan, Cordova, Rowesville, Jamison and Edisto Fire Departments responded to the scene.

"Once they were able enter the residence, they found what appeared to be a female body," Williams said. "Her upper body was so charred that she could not  be identified on the scene. We were not able to tell whether she died as a result of the fire of whether she was dead when the fire started.

"When the body was examined, we also couldn't tell if she had been shot or hit with some kind of blunt object. The burns to her body were too severe. The house was 60 to 70 percent destroyed."

The bomb and arson teams from the State Law Enforcement Division were called in to assist in the investigation.

One deputy on the scene said while the house was burning he detected an odor that could be associated with a methamphetamine lab, Williams said.

"So, we're looking at that possibility as well," Williams said. "Once everything is examined, we might be looking at homicide and maybe even a few more charges."

The entrances to Blewer Road were blocked for most of the day Tuesday. S.C. Highway Patrol troopers were allowing only those who lived on the street to enter.

"When I got here and saw that sign saying 'road closed,' I got scared," Jan Ellis said. "I still don't know what's going on. The officer didn't tell me. He did assure me there wasn't a fugitive on the loose. I live on this road but I'm not sure I want to go home right now. Maybe I should wait until they open the road for all traffic."

She nonetheless went through the roadblock after proving her residence to the trooper.

"We intend to move as expediently as possible with this case," Williams said. "I believe there's a lot more to this than we even suspect right now. I have faith in the thoroughness of my deputies. We'll get to the bottom of this, and soon."



T&D Staff Writer Thomas Brown can be reached by e-mail at tbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5532. T&D Correspondent Elizabeth A. Mobley contributed to this report.

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