Foster child allegedly drowned in lake by two teens on local politician’s property: authorities
A temporary foster placement at the home of a South Carolina county council chairman ended in tragedy after investigators say two teens attacked a 13-year-old boy before holding him underwater until he died.
According to The Augusta Press, 13-year-old Daryl Martinez Lowry had only recently been placed in the home of McCormick County Council Chairman Bernie Hamby while awaiting another foster placement.
The outlet reported the two suspects were also foster children living at the home.
One of the teens, Landen Austin Moore, 17, was charged with murder after investigators said he and a 16-year-old got into a physical altercation with Lowry during the early morning hours of July 20, leaving the 13-year-old with knife wounds before the two teens allegedly held him underwater until he died.
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According to an arrest warrant posted online by the McCormick County Sheriff's Office, the confrontation happened at a private boat dock on Beauregard Drive in Modoc, South Carolina.
The warrant alleges Lowry suffered knife lacerations during the fight before Moore and the unidentified 16-year-old "did unlawfully, intentionally, and with malice aforethought" murder him by "holding him underwater until he became deceased."
The warrant states the allegations are based on witness statements and evidence gathered during the investigation.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (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 booked into the McCormick County Detention Center.
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Authorities said the 16-year-old allegedly involved in the incident was transported to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. SLED has not publicly announced whether that juvenile has been charged.
According to the Augusta Press, Hamby was asleep inside the residence during the alleged attack. Lowry's body was later recovered from the lake.
Authorities have not indicated Hamby witnessed the incident or was involved in the alleged crime. Hamby, a longtime McCormick County councilman who serves as council chairman, has publicly advocated for foster care for years.
Just over a month before his death, Lowry was the subject of a missing child investigation in his hometown of Chester, South Carolina.
On June 12, the Chester Police Department asked for the public's help locating the 13-year-old after he was last seen the previous evening.
"At this time, Daryl's whereabouts are unknown, and we are asking the entire community to remain alert and assist in bringing him home safely," the department wrote in a social media post.
Police urged parents, neighbors and businesses to check surveillance cameras and report "anything suspicious or unusual," adding that officers and investigators were actively pursuing leads.
Later that same day, the department announced Lowry had been found safe.
Authorities have not publicly linked Lowry's earlier disappearance to the circumstances surrounding his death.
A GoFundMe created by Lowry's relatives says the teen had recently been living in a temporary foster home.
"My name is Zyon Simpson, I am the aunt of Daryl Martinez Lowry (13) who was recently murdered while in a temporary foster home," the fundraiser states.
The family described Daryl as "an amazing child full of life, love, and charisma."
"He loved his parents, family, and friends, and he always wore a smile," the fundraiser says.
A woman identifying herself as Lowry's aunt also mourned the 13-year-old in a Facebook post, vowing to seek justice.
"I love you my sweet nephew. We will get justice," she wrote. "You didn't deserve this. No child deserves this... Until we meet again, I will definitely keep your name alive."
McCormick County Sheriff Chad Cox described the killing as an extraordinary tragedy for the rural community while thanking the agencies that helped investigate the case.
"We want to express our deepest condolences to the friends/family of the young man who had his life taken in such a horrendous manner," Cox wrote in a statement posted to the sheriff's office's 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 that we live/work in a community where violent crime is not the regular occurrence," Cox wrote. "But with that being said, no place is exempt from these types of incidents and we must remain diligent in our efforts to keep McCormick County a safe place to live, work and raise families."
SLED said its investigation remains active and ongoing. The case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General's Office.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Hamby, the South Carolina Department of Social Services, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the McCormick County Sheriff's Office to independently confirm those details.
Authorities have not accused Hamby of any wrongdoing.