By By Ian Davis-Leonard

Copyright postandcourier

LANCASTER — A South Carolina man faces more than a dozen felony charges after he allegedly held four people captive in a Lancaster home, abusing them and stealing money, according to the Lancaster Police Department.

Donnie Ray Birchfield Jr., 35, is accused of keeping four victims — two women he was in a relationship with and a couple he was the sole caregiver for — in the basement of a home on Churchill Drive.

A warrant from police said the victims were abused, denied food and cut off from outside help.

Authorities said the crimes only came to light after one of the victims died in July.

Birchfield was arrested Aug. 1 on charges of abuse of a vulnerable adult, four counts of false imprisonment and domestic violence. Police have since tacked on additional charges for fraud and exploitation. WSOC-TV was first to report on the alleged crimes.

An investigation began on July 25 after Lancaster Police were called for an “unattended death” at the home on Churchill Drive, in a residential area about a mile off the Lancaster Bypass.

Police warrants said investigators determined the woman had died the day before. According to court documents, there was evidence the woman was physically abused, denied sustenance and medical treatment.

During the investigation, police learned the woman and three other people were being held captive in the basement by Birchfield, records indicate..

Warrants said the woman who died and her husband were vulnerable adults and Birchfield was their sole caregiver. It’s not clear how Birchfield knew the couple.

The other two victims were allegedly in romantic relationships with Birchfield, according to court documents. One woman had lived with him since September 2024, while the other had been in the home since 2015.