US Postal Service Carrier Shot to Death While Delivering Mail

A Mail Carrier was shot in Williamsburg County, South Carolina, while delivering mail.

Published: 9/26/2019, 5:11:12 PM EDT

US Postal Service Carrier Shot to Death While Delivering Mail — Police tape in a file photo. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

A mail carrier was shot in Williamsburg County, South Carolina, on Sept. 23, according to multiple reports.

Irene Pressley, 64, the U.S. Postal Service mail carrier, was found inside her vehicle on Morrisville Highway by someone who was passing by, according to Harrison McKnight, the Williamsburg County coroner, WPDE reported.

In a press release made by the Williamsburg County Sheriff's Office, authorities received a call from someone located at an unknown address on Morrisville Road, and once they arrived at the scene, they found a black car and Pressley, who was not responsive at the time, according to KingsTree News. The emergency medical team attempted to issue aid, but they were not successful in reviving Pressley.

According to McKnight, it seemed that Pressley's death was a homicide, WPDE reported. An autopsy will be conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston to determine the cause of death.

According to Jessica Adams, a U.S. Postal Inspection Service spokesperson, Pressley was delivering mail when she was fatally shot, WCSC reported.

In a statement given by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to WPDE: "Postal Inspectors are actively involved in this ongoing investigation into the death of rural letter carrier Irene Pressley. Ms. Pressley was employed by the U.S. Postal Service for 22 years. No other information can be provided at this time."

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are both investigating the shooting of Pressley, and because the investigation is still ongoing, authorities have not yet released information regarding the case, according to WPDE.

According to the statement, any updates regarding this case will be posted on the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Twitter page, WPDE reported.

The authorities have yet to release information regarding the motive behind the shooting pending ongoing investigations, WCSC reported.

In addition, a reward has been offered for anyone who can provide any details that lead to the arrest of the person responsible, according to the tweet. They also wrote in an update on Twitter that authorities are working with the public to arrest the person responsible. Anyone who may have any information is encouraged to contact authorities.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said that they consider the safety and the well-being of their employees very seriously.

Adams, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service spokesperson, said that once the person responsible is caught and taken in police custody, the suspect could be facing the federal death penalty.