FOX Carolina 21Woman found dead in home was shot to death

A woman whose body was found inside a burned Taylor's home Tuesday was shot to death, according to the Greenville County Coroner's Office.

The fire happened at about 5 a.m. at 301 McConnell Rd.

Firefighters from the Taylors Fire Department said by the time they arrived, the house was engulfed in flames and the roof had collapsed.

Just before 9 a.m., firefighters asked for an arson investigator from the Greenville County Sheriff's Office to respond to the scene. Deputies said during that investigation, the body was found.

SLIDESHOW: Taylors home destroyed by fire

Deputies said that later in the morning, a vehicle that was registered to the address of the home that burned was found abandoned in the northern part of the county.

Another neighbor said his son's golf cart had been stolen sometime between 5 and 7 a.m. James Malcolm said the electric cart was later found in a ditch across the street from the house that burned. He said investigators are keeping the cart as evidence.

On Wednesday, Greenville County Deputy Coroner Barry Wright identified the woman as 63-year-old Alice Owenby, a widow who lived alone at the home.

Wright said that Owenby died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head. He said Owenby did not die in the fire because her airway was clear of soot and smoke, and the area where her body was laying was not burned, indicating she was on the floor before the fire started.

Neighbors said they already miss the woman who lived there.

"Me and her were very good friends," said Dan Homan, one of Owenby's neighbors. "She gave me Christmas cookies. She's a great grandmother. She's a mother of three. She's just loved. She was a really nice woman."

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