West Laurens wrestling coach Slaughter found dead after contact regarding rape, sexual assault charges
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
Shortly after agreeing Monday to meet with law enforcement officials about an investigation for rape and sexual assault with supervisory or disciplinary authorities, West Laurens head wrestling coach Michael Slaughter was found dead at his home.
The news was first reported by WGXA News.
According to media reports, Laurens County was notified of an alleged incident on May 10. The GBI’s Eastman office joined the investigation and obtained arrest warrants for rape and sexual assault by a person in a supervisory capacity for an alleged incident – not on school property.
Slaughter was contacted Monday, and agreed to a meeting at the Laurens County sheriff’s office.
When deputies arrived at his home shortly thereafter with a search warrant, they found him dead.
Slaughter was 29.
His Facebook page listed him living in Boiling Springs, N.C., but he had been head wrestling coach at West Laurens, which has been among the state’s better programs for more than a decade.
That followed a remarkable wrestling career with the Raiders. He was undefeated as a senior in 2007, winning his third straight GHSA state wrestling title.
A story in the Dublin Courier-Herald in 2007 noted that he was a senior leader “and unofficial assistant coach” who was “one of the best to wear a West Laurens singlet.”
His college career began at Spartanburg Methodist, where he was a junior-college All-American. He then went to Gardner-Webb and wrestled for three years, one unattached and not as part of the lineup. His final season at G-W was 2011-12.
Slaughter was an assistant at West Laurens, and named in June of 2015 to replace Ed Bland, who was Slaughter’s high school coach.
According to information culled from social media, he was married and the father of an infant.
His last Tweet came on May 16: “I do believe this…God is using you for a bigger purpose.”