Coroner identifies barricaded man who died after home caught fire

This story has been updated to include the name of the deceased.

The Horry County Coroner’s Office has identified a man who died after he barricaded himself in his Myrtle Beach home and fired shots at police during a standoff Saturday.

The body of Anthony Rayfield, 43, was found on the second floor of the burned house on Redleaf Rose Drive in the Clear Pond section of Carolina Forest, according to Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard.

Rayfield died about 11:45 p.m., she said in a news release.

Willard said an autopsy will be performed this week.

Rayfield had been wanted by the police, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said.

SLED spokesperson Ryan Alphin said the agency has started an arson investigation, WBTW-TV reported Monday.

Police said the fire broke out around 11:30 p.m at the residence, according to an Horry County Police Department Facebook post.

Two nearby homes were also damaged by the blaze.

The police had been making efforts to talk with the barricaded person, according to a department Facebook post Saturday.

“The subject fired multiple rounds, including shooting at and destroying SLED equipment,” Alphin told the television station. “SLED has no information that any law enforcement officer fired any rounds during the incident. “

No officers were injured.

On Sunday, police said community members were returning to their homes after they were asked to stay indoors or avoid the area until the issue was resolved.

The SLED investigation is continuing.

This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 10:25 AM.