Foster child allegedly drowned in lake by two teens on local politician’s property: authorities
Placing a temporary guardian in a person’s home South Carolina It ended in tragedy after investigators say two teenagers attacked a 13-year-old boy and held him underwater until he died, the county council chairman said.
According to Augusta PressDaryl Martinez Lowry, 13, had recently been placed at the home of McCormick County Council President Bernie Hamby while awaiting another foster care placement.
The outlet reported that the two suspects were also foster children living at the home.
One of the teenagers, 17-year-old Landen Austin Moore, is accused of murder after investigators say he and a 16-year-old boy got into a physical altercation with Lowry in the early morning hours of July 20, leaving the 13-year-old with stab wounds until the two teens allegedly held him underwater until he died.
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Daryl Martinez Lowry, 13, was killed July 20 after investigators say two teenagers attacked him at a boat dock in South Carolina’s McCormick County.
The shooting occurred at a private boat dock on Beauregard Drive in Modoc, South Carolina, according to an arrest warrant posted online by the McCormick County Sheriff’s Office.
The warrant alleges Lowry was stabbed during a fight between Moore and the unidentified 16-year-old, who “with unlawful, deliberate and premeditated malice” “killed” him by holding him underwater until he died.
The search warrant states that the allegations are based on witness statements and evidence collected during the investigation.
The South Carolina Division of Law Enforcement (SLED) announced Tuesday that Moore was charged with murder after the McCormick County Sheriff’s Office requested the state agency. investigate the case.
Moore was sent to the McCormick County Detention Center.
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According to the South Carolina Division of Law Enforcement, 17-year-old Landen Austin Moore has been charged with murder in connection with the death of 13-year-old Daryl Martinez Lowry.
The 16-year-old boy allegedly involved in the incident was transported to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, authorities said. SLED has not publicly disclosed whether this teen has been charged.
Hamby was asleep inside the house at the time of the alleged attack, the Augusta Press reported. Lowry’s body was later recovered from the lake.
Authorities did not say Hamby witnessed the incident or was involved in the alleged crime. Hamby, a longtime McCormick County councilman who serves as council president, has been an advocate for preventative care for years.
Lowry had been the subject of an incident just a month before his death. missing child investigation in his hometown of Chester, South Carolina.
Family members described Daryl Martinez Lowry as “full of life, love and charisma” following his death.
On June 12, the Chester Police Department asked for the public’s help in locating the 13-year-old boy who was last seen the previous evening.
“Daryl’s whereabouts are unknown at this time and we ask the entire community to remain vigilant and help bring him home safely,” the department wrote in a social media post.
Police urged parents, neighbors and businesses to check security cameras and report “anything suspicious or unusual,” while adding that officers and investigators are actively following leads.
Later that day, the department announced that Lowry had been found safe.
Authorities have not publicly linked Lowry’s previous disappearance to the circumstances surrounding his death.
A GoFundMe created by Lowry’s relatives says the teen had recently been living in temporary foster care.
“My name is Zyon Simpson, and I am the aunt of Daryl Martinez Lowry, 13, who was recently murdered while in temporary foster care,” the fundraiser reads.
The family described Daryl as “an amazing kid full of life, love and charisma.”
“He loved his parents, family and friends and was always smiling,” she says at the fundraiser.
A woman who identified herself as Lowry’s aunt also mourned the 13-year-old boy’s death in a Facebook post and vowed to seek justice.
“I love you my sweet nephew. We will get justice,” he wrote. “You didn’t deserve this. No child deserves this… I will definitely keep your name alive until we meet again.”
McCormick County Sheriff Chad Cox called the murder an extraordinary tragedy for the rural community and thanked the agencies that helped investigate the case.
“We want to extend our deepest condolences to the friends/family of the young man whose life was so horrifically ended,” Cox wrote in a statement posted on the sheriff’s office Facebook page.
Cox thanked SLED, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, McCormick County Emergency Services, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the McCormick County Coroner’s Office and others who assisted in the investigation.
“We are extremely grateful to live/work in a community like this: violent crime “But no place is immune from these types of events, and we must vigorously continue our efforts to keep McCormick County a safe place to live, work and raise a family,” Cox wrote.
SLED said the investigation is active and ongoing. The case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
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Fox News Digital contacted Hamby, the South Carolina Department of Social Services, the South Carolina Division of Law Enforcement (SLED), and the McCormick County Sheriff’s Office to independently verify these details.
Authorities did not charge Hamby with any wrongdoing.
Original article source: Foster boy allegedly drowned in lake on local politician’s property by two teenagers, authorities say
