Richland County Parents Charged in Death of Son, 4

Two Richland County parents are facing charges of homicide by child abuse after their 4-year-old son was found dead at a home in the Hollywood Hills community Monday night.

Courtney Shante Thompson, 25, and Robert Antonio Guinyard, 28, were arrested Tuesday and are both charged with homicide by child abuse and unlawful conduct towards a child.

Deputies found the child unresponsive at a home on Beaverbrook Road in Columbia, near Fairfield Road around 6 p.m. Monday.

The child died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head and body, Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said.

Based on evidence collected at the scene, interviews with family and friends of the two suspects, and an autopsy report, investigators determined both Thompson and Guinyard were "ultimately responsible" for the child's death.

Sheriff Leon Lott said in a release that "this is a horrific case of a mother and father killing their own flesh and blood." 

"We’ve learned to reduce child auto fatalities through the use of seatbelts and child safety seats, we’ve learned about reducing child fatalities in cribs, we’ve also learned to reduce child fatalities when it comes to the toys they play with but one thing we’ve got to learn is how to handle stress when it comes to our children." 

The two have six other children. Five children were with other family members and a newborn that was in the home at the time of the incident. That child has been taken into protective custody, the department said. 

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