Lauren Rene Bishop, a 44-year-old Caucasian woman, was found dead in a supposedly vacant room at the Red Roof Inn off Northwoods Boulevard in North Charleston, South Carolina, on the morning of September 19, 2021. The North Charleston Police Department responded around 8:30 a.m., and an autopsy later determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound.

Detectives identified 34-year-old Michael Parker as the primary person of interest. Investigators linked Bishop’s death to a second fatal shooting that same day: Anthony Merida was found shot and killed at a nearby hotel. Parker was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a violent crime and was booked at the Al Cannon Detention Center. The motive and the relationship between Parker and the victims remained under investigation.

If anyone has information about Lauren Bishop, Anthony Merida, or their whereabouts on September 19, 2021, please come forward.