A South Carolina foster placement turned deadly this week after investigators say two teenage boys attacked a 13-year-old and drowned him at a private lake dock, according to law enforcement officials.
Daryl Martinez Lowry had only recently been placed in the McCormick County home of council chairman Bernie Hamby while he waited for a permanent foster arrangement, officials said. Two other foster children were also living at the residence at the time.
According to an arrest warrant filed by the McCormick County Sheriff’s Office, a physical fight broke out between Lowry and the other teens in the early hours of July 20 at a boat dock on Beauregard Drive in Modoc. Investigators allege Lowry was cut with a knife during the confrontation before being held underwater until he died.
Landen Austin Moore, 17, has been charged with murder. A 16-year-old also allegedly involved was taken into custody by the state’s juvenile justice department, though it remains unclear if he faces formal charges. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division took over the investigation at the sheriff’s request and confirmed Moore’s arrest this week.
Officials say Hamby was asleep inside the home when the incident occurred and has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Lowry’s body was recovered from the lake following the attack.
Just weeks earlier, Lowry had briefly gone missing from his hometown before being found safe the same day.
McCormick County Sheriff Chad Cox called the killing an extraordinary tragedy for the community, thanking the multiple state and federal agencies that assisted in the investigation, including natural resources officers and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Family members have described Lowry as a joyful, loving child, with relatives vowing to pursue justice on his behalf.
Authorities say the investigation remains active, and the case will ultimately be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.