Pastor's son imprisoned four people in his basement including a married couple and was only exposed after woman died, police say
Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2025 9:14 pm
LANCASTER, SOUTH CAROLINA - A pastor's son kept four people including a married couple in his basement for years and was only exposed after the wife died, authorities said.
Donnie Ray Birchfield, Jr., 35, faces 16 charges in total, including false imprisonment, abuse of a vulnerable adult and domestic violence, per the South Carolina Attorney General's Office.
Birchfield would physically abuse the victims, determine when they would use the bathroom, 'control' their cellphones and steal their money, police alleged.
An investigation into the 35-year-old started on July 25 when a woman died at his Churchill Drive home in Lancaster, about 50 miles from the Charlotte metropolitan area.
The 3,751-square-foot home was built in 1996 and was last sold for $200,000 in 2022.
Police were called to respond to an 'unattended death' and, according to court documents, found evidence that the woman had been physically abused.
She was also allegedly denied food and medical care. Law enforcement authorities determined that the woman had died one day earlier, according to police warrants.
The other occupants of the basement were her husband and two women who were romantically involved with Birchfield, according to the police.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... apped.html
Donnie Ray Birchfield, Jr., 35, faces 16 charges in total, including false imprisonment, abuse of a vulnerable adult and domestic violence, per the South Carolina Attorney General's Office.
Birchfield would physically abuse the victims, determine when they would use the bathroom, 'control' their cellphones and steal their money, police alleged.
An investigation into the 35-year-old started on July 25 when a woman died at his Churchill Drive home in Lancaster, about 50 miles from the Charlotte metropolitan area.
The 3,751-square-foot home was built in 1996 and was last sold for $200,000 in 2022.
Police were called to respond to an 'unattended death' and, according to court documents, found evidence that the woman had been physically abused.
She was also allegedly denied food and medical care. Law enforcement authorities determined that the woman had died one day earlier, according to police warrants.
The other occupants of the basement were her husband and two women who were romantically involved with Birchfield, according to the police.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... apped.html