Bessie Durham: Missing Mall Janitor Was Dead in Public Bathroom – A woman who worked as a janitor at a South Carolina mall was reportedly found dead in a department store bathroom on Monday, four days after she vanished.
WIS-TV reported that the body of Bessie Durham, 63, was discovered in a bathroom stall at the Columbiana Centre in Columbia. Durham was a janitor at Belk, which is located at the shopping mall.
Bessie Durham: Missing Mall Janitor Was Dead in Public Bathroom
Durham’s cleaning cart was reportedly located outside of the public restroom where she was found dead.
An employee reportedly last saw Durham on Thursday. Durham’s body is believed to have been in the public bathroom — unnoticed — over the weekend.
Columbia police Chief Melron Kelly told WIS-TV that Durham’s family filed a missing person report before her body was located. The police chief said they are investigating whether negligence is involved in this case.
Meanwhile, the Lexington County Coroner’s Office told the news outlet that there is no indication foul play or drugs played a role in Durham’s death. An autopsy is scheduled for later this week.
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Worker found dead in department store bathroom was there 4 days
A 63-year-old woman named Bessie Durham, who worked as a janitor at the Belk department store, was found dead inside the department store’s public bathroom.
Police said Durham was last seen on Thursday by another employee, but her body had not been discovered until Monday night.
For four days, Durham’s body went unnoticed inside a public restroom during a busy shopping weekend.
Deputy Chief Melron Kelly with the Columbia Police Department says the family of Durham had not spoken to her for four days and actually went to the station to file a missing person’s report.
“We were with the family taking a missing person’s report, and once we were on scene and did a little investigating, we did discover the person deceased at the Belk,” said Deputy Chief Melron Kelly of Columbia Police Department.
Police are investigating why and how no one noticed Durham, but with the investigation in its early stages, criminal charges could still be a possibility.
“We’re still working with the store to find out what their process is to closing down the store, inspecting the store and things of that nature,” Kelly said.
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Belk issued the following statement: “First and foremost, we send our deepest condolences to the family of the housekeeping associate who was employed by KBS, which provides cleaning services at our Columbiana Centre location. At this time, we are working with KBS to determine the details around what happened. We have also made counselors available to Belk and KBS associates seeking support.