WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Columbia woman dies after car pins her to porch

Columbia woman dies after car pins her to porch

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - A Columbia woman was hit by a car, pinned against the porch of her own home and killed, officers say. The driver of the car that killed the woman was her husband. Was it accident, or not?

The victim's sister says she's not sure.

The porch off Maybelle Court was shattered. In that spot late Tuesday, investigators found the body of 53-year-old Gwen Rivers. "I came up and found my sister laying up ... and I just want to know why?" asks Rivers' older sister, Earnestine Chavis.

Why did Gwen get run over by a car and backed into the porch outside her home? An even bigger question is: why was Gwen's husband driving the car that killed her?

"We are praying it's just an accident," says Chavis. "Right now it's hard. We want some answers."

Richland County deputies spent Tuesday night combing the driveway near the Rivers home. As night turned to day, investigators are still not sure if it was an accident.

Family tells WIS News 10 both Gwen and her husband had a history of mental health problems, but the couple was happily married for more than 20 years.

"As far as we know, a very good relationship - both church-goers, both church workers," says Chavis. She says it "took everybody by shock."

Wednesday night, investigators are still interviewing Gwen Rivers' husband. They're comparing his statements with the evidence found outside the couple's home.

They're also trying to determine how fast the car was going and reconstructing the scene with the help of highway patrol and the coroner's office.

Reported by Dan Tordjman

Posted by Chantelle Janelle