Aug. 18--ORANGEBURG -- An unemployed mother accused of suffocating her two young sons and disposing of their bodies in a river could face the death penalty in a case that has caused a national sensation for its similarities to the Susan Smith probe 16 years ago.

But 1st Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe said he would have to review all evidence and circumstances in the case before making a final decision on whether to seek the death penalty against 29-year-old Shaquan Renee Duley. Under state law, the case qualifies for the death penalty.

Duley is charged with murdering the children, ages 1 and 2, early Monday. Their bodies, strapped into toddler restraint seats, were found Monday morning submerged in a car in the North Edisto River. They had been suffocated at a local motel, authorities said. Their deaths resulted from a dispute between their mother and their grandmother over how they were being raised, Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams said.

Duley confessed to the slayings late Monday, the sheriff said.

Williams said the nature of the children's deaths had shaken even hardened criminal investigators within his force. There were signs that the 2-year-old suffered wounds as if trying to fight back before succumbing, according to the Orangeburg County Coroner's office. She suffocated them with her hands, the sheriff said.

"Here's two ... innocent little folks, who meant no harm to anyone, taken away," Williams said during a news conference. "It's touching."

The charges will be formally presented to Duley during her arraignment this afternoon in an Orangeburg courtroom. She will be asked to enter a plea. At a later date, Duley will appear before a circuit judge, who will set bail in the case.

This week's events in sleepy Orangeburg are reminiscent of the Susan Smith case, which happened in Union County in 1994. Smith strapped her two young children in their car seats, then rolled her car into a lake, where they died. She at first said the children had been kidnapped, before authorities later charged her with murder. She is serving a life prison sentence for the children's deaths.

Duley's case brought reporters to Orangeburg from across the state and nation. Television trucks from Washington, D.C., and Jacksonville, Fla., were in town to cover the news, as were reporters from Atlanta. The case also made national network broadcasts.

During Tuesday's tension-filled news conference, Williams described Duley as a desperate woman who had quarreled with her mother over the responsibilities she bore for the youngsters. He said there was a dispute between the mother and Duley the night before the children were "placed into the river," and their deaths were a "direct response" to the argument.

Duley, who also has a 5-year-old, had lived for several years with her mother -- the children's grandmother -- on a quiet street of modest and boarded-up homes. The father of the children had not been located the sheriff said; she was raising them without his assistance.

Of Duley, Williams said, "She truly felt that if, 'I don't have these two toddlers, I can be free."

Duley's attorney, Carl Grant, said people should remember that "regardless of the seriousness of the charges, the presumption of innocence is fundamental in our society."

At Trump's Inn, on Five Chop Road, owner/manager Renuka Patel said Shaquan Duley paid $35 for a room and key deposit about 1:30 a.m. Monday. Patel said it's unusual for someone to seek a room at that time of day. She said she did not notice any children with Duley and never saw a car.

On Tuesday, room 31 at the aging motor court, a few miles from downtown Orangeburg, had been sealed off by investigators.

"I'm a mother, too," Patel said. "They are innocent kids. How can she do that? I don't know. And in my room? I cannot believe it."

Information about Duley dribbled out slowly Tuesday. Orangeburg residents began placing children's toys and flowers at the boat landing along the river where the children were found dead.

Duley graduated from the 1,600-student Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School in 1999, school officials confirmed. She was described by a longtime family friend as a pleasant person who seemed to love her children. Friends said they were shocked she had been charged in their deaths.

"I just don't understand this. I got emotional this morning concerning this," said Duley family friend Annette Blocker, who lived next door to the family on Whaley Street for about 20 years. "This is just so much to take."

Blocker she didn't know of tension between Duley and her mother. They had moved from Whaley Street, next door to Blocker, to Hammock Street about two to three years ago after running into some financial trouble, Blocker said.

Blocker said Shaquan Duley, as a youngster, was polite and quiet, characteristics she carried into adulthood. That resulted from her mom's firm hand as she grew up, Blocker said. Duley has at least one sister, Blocker said.

"They didn't give their mom no problems, not to my knowing," Blocker said of Shaquan and her sister. "They were just beautiful. They were the most respectful children."

Meanwhile Tuesday, Shaquan Duley's mother was surrounded by family and friends at her small home at 992 Hammock St. A steady stream of supporters came and went during the day. A woman who answered the door declined to answer questions. Shaquan Duley's mother was identified by Blocker and family cousin Kevin Felder as Helene Brown Duley.

A spokeswoman for South Carolina's child welfare agency said Shaquan Duley and her children have no history of any child protection issues.

Pascoe told The State that he needs to review the case before deciding whether he will press for the death penalty.

Under S.C. law, the case has two "aggravating" circumstances that could make it eligible for the death penalty.

The first is that at least one victim was 11 years old or younger, and the second circumstance is that at least two people were killed.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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