HANAHAN, S.C.–Berkeley County Coroner Bill Salisbury has officially ruled the recent death of a Hanahan woman as a homicide.
According to an autopsy performed Thursday at MUSC, Melanie Rivera, 39, died from asphyxiation due to manual strangulation.
Police say they were conducting a welfare check when they discovered Rivera’s body stuffed inside an apartment closet on Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities say concerned co-workers contacted police when they couldn’t reach her and she failed to show up for work.
Salisbury stated that Rivera’s body had been in the closet for more than 24 hours.
The victim’s live-in boyfriend, Michael Strait, Jr., 35, has been charged with her murder.
He was arrested during a traffic stop Tuesday night, according to police.
The two lived at an apartment at The Landing on Mabeline Drive in Hanahan.
A motive for the crime has not been released.
