Police capture men who 'dismembered couple with machete and chainsaw before stuffing bodies into barrels and dumping them in lake'

Police have captured the man who they say killed two people more than a month ago and stuffed their bodies in barrels before dumping them into a South Carolina lake.

Authorities arrested John Michael Young Saturday afternoon in Anderson, the same town where the bodies were found.





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DYoueputies said Young was arrested at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday at a residence on West Lake Street in Anderson. He is charged with two counts of murder and the unauthorized removal of a dead body.

Police charged the fugitive with two counts of murder Friday after searching his home not far from Lake Hartwell, taking away a chainsaw and machetes, Anderson County Sheriff's spokesman Chad McBride said.

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Barrel Boys: Shaine David Fischer (left) was arrested Friday after allegedly helping John Michael Young (right) dump the bodies of Andrea Mitchell and Tony McGinnis in a South Carolina lake. Young, who deputies charged with two counts of murder after finding a chainsaw and machetes at his home, was arrested Saturday.

Authorities said in arrest warrants that Young killed 52-year-old Tony McGinnis in September and 37-year-old Andrea Mitchell in October by beating them in the head in woods near his home.

Investigators didn't give a motive, but said the victims weren't killed at random.

'We believe he targeted these victims for a reason,' McBride said. 'I don't necessarily believe he's out there targeting people for a random reason.'

Mitchell's body was found Wednesday in a plastic barrel that was partially submerged in the lake after an officer saw the barrel and examined it. Deputies returned to the lake Thursday and found McGinnis' dismembered body in a metal barrel about 10 feet under water.

The two victims were acquaintances, but they had several friends in common. McBride said.

A second man, Shaine David Fischer, was arrested and charged with two counts of accessory after the fact of murder. Investigators said he helped Young dump the bodies in the lake. Arrest warrants said he confessed to his role and led investigators to charge Young. It wasn't known if he had an attorney.

Deputies are looking for any leads to find Young, and McBride has a warning for anyone who knows where Young is but isn't telling authorities.

'Think twice before you assist Mr. Young so you won't get charged, too,' McBride said.

Dead: Authorities discovered the bodies of Andrea Mitchell, 37 (left) and Tony McGinnis, 53 (right) Grisly: The two bodies were found stuffed into barrels in a lake in South Carolina on Thursday

Recovery: The barrels were found half a mile apart and police are now investigating a link between the deaths

Busted: In this arrest photo, Ms Mitchell hardly looks like the same beauty in the photo above

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