Suicide driver's identity now known


By TIM GULLA
Ledger Staff Writer
tim@gaffneyledger.com

The driver of a sport utility vehicle who apparently committed suicide during a police chase Thursday evening was identified by Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler on Friday as a 35-year-old Blacksburg woman.
Teresa Lynn Blankenship was behind the wheel of a dark-colored sport utility vehicle near the Interstate 85 and Highway 11 junction when a Cherokee County Sheriff's deputy attempted a traffic stop.
Sheriff Bill Blanton said the vehicle pulled over and two teenage children were let out. But the driver then sped off, firing shots out the window in the process.
The incident set off a massive police response as dozens of law enforcement officers were already scouring Cherokee County in the ongoing hunt for a serial killer deemed responsible now for four murders.
"We had 10 or 15 cars behind her and 10 or 15 cars coming towards her," Blanton said. "Somewhere in the middle, she takes her own life."
The incident is still under investigation. It's unknown why the driver reacted the way she did. Some narcotics were found in the vehicle, Blanton confirmed.
"Right now, it doesn't look like it has any connections whatsoever (to the ongoing murder probes)," Blanton said.