Duncan Burrell Gordon death investigation: What we know

2022-07-09 09:33:32 By : Mr. David Cao

The partial remains of a Greer man have been found in a machine at a Spartanburg County recycling plant, according to Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger.

Duncan Alexander "Alex" Burrell Gordon, 20, was reported missing on May 5. Some of his remains were found at Industrial Recycling and Recovery Inc., 3100 Green Road in Greer, Clevenger said.

The Herald-Journal previously reported that the Spartanburg County Coroner's Office closed the missing person investigation regarding Gordon on Wednesday, July 6. 

The South Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office are investigating.

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►Gordon worked at the factory, where his father was his supervisor, according to Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger in a Wednesday evening press release. 

►Gordon was last seen at his overnight shift at the plant on May 5, according to media reports. When asked via text message later Wednesday evening, Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger could not confirm this. 

►The Sheriff's Office would not comment on the nature of the death and did not say if it was being investigated as an accidental death or a homicide.

►The Coroner's Office closed its missing person investigation Wednesday night.

►Both OSHA and the Sheriff's Office have opened investigations into Gordon's death.

►OSHA opened an investigation June 16 because the incident happened in the workplace according to Lesia Kudelka, Communications Director and Ombudsman for the South Carolina Department of Labor, License and Registration (SCDLLR). 

►The Sheriff's Office has an ongoing investigation, according to Lt. Kevin Bobo of the Sheriff's Office Wednesday morning.

►The remains that were found including about 2 ounces of blood, Clevenger said in a detailed news release.

►As previously reported, the machine has been viewed four separate times. First by Gordon's father, then twice by the Sheriff's Office. The first Sheriff's Office viewing was by a uniformed Patrol Supervisor after the missing report was filed, the second was by Sheriff’s investigators with certified cadaver dog days after the report. A fourth overall viewing was conducted by the Coroner's Office. 

►Gordon, who went by the name Alex, was a 2020 Powdersville High School graduate, and graduated eight months early, according to his mother, Jaime Renee Dill. 

►He had been enrolled at Tri-County College in Anderson, she said. 

"He was an awesome gamer. Call of Duty was his main game. He was single but was all about his family. He has three older brothers and one younger sister," Dill said. "He loved bowling and four-wheeling. He was a goofball. He loved his gummy bears."

►Duncan's father declined to comment on his son's death when contacted via Facebook. 

►The machine where Gordon's remains were found is a plastic materials shredder common in recycling, Clevenger said via text message. 

►Approximately 60,000 pounds of plastic material had been processed between the time Gordon was noticed missing and when the first investigator arrived to inspect the machine, Clevenger said.  

►The plant can process as much as 60 million pounds of material per year, according to its website.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

Chalmers Rogland, a Wofford College graduate, covers public safety and breaking news for the Herald-Journal. Reach him via email at crogland@shj.com. Find him on Twitter @CRogland.