No arrests in 2 Aiken homicides

Despite rumors to the contrary, authorities have made no arrests in the Aug. 11 slayings of Yana Schenker and Shalamar Byrd in Aiken.

"It hinders our investigation," Aiken County sheriff's Capt. Troy Elwell said of stories circulating that an arrest had been made.

Law enforcement is looking at more than one person of interest in the slayings of the two women, both found strangled and set on fire.

Schenker, a wealthy former athlete and horsewoman who moved to Aiken seven years ago, was discovered by firefighters in a room over her garage on Paddocks Bend.

Byrd was killed in the same way, but her body was left burning a few miles away along Storm Branch Road, which is a Beech Island address.

A silver ring set with turquoise that belonged to Schenker was found with Byrd's body.

The 38-year-old Byrd, who neighbors in Augusta said was a prostitute, had served a two-year prison term for burglary, according to Georgia Department of Corrections.

Whether one of a handful of workers frequently "coming and going" to work on projects Schenker often had under way at her house, one of Byrd's "johns" whom her brother speculated was the killer, or someone else, authorities "haven't ruled anybody out," Elwell said.

Billy Schenker, son of the elder victim, said whoever was making false claims about an arrest was "some selfish, stupid person on the Internet."

After his mother's memorial, Billy Schenker returned to his home in Corona del Mar, Calif., but said he eventually plans to bring her horse there.