A 13-year-old boy who had recently been placed in a temporary foster home run by a South Carolina county council chairman was allegedly drowned by two other foster teens, according to authorities. The incident occurred in the early morning hours of July 20 at a private boat dock on Beauregard Drive in Modoc, South Carolina, on the property of McCormick County Council Chairman Bernie Hamby.
The victim, Daryl Martinez Lowry, had only recently been placed in Hamby's home while awaiting another foster placement, according to local reports. The two suspects were also foster children living at the residence. Landen Austin Moore, 17, has been charged with murder, while a 16-year-old suspect has been transported to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. Authorities have not yet announced whether the younger suspect has been formally charged.
According to an arrest warrant released by the McCormick County Sheriff's Office, the confrontation began as a physical altercation between Lowry and the two teens. The warrant alleges that Lowry suffered knife lacerations during the fight before Moore and the 16-year-old “did unlawfully, intentionally, and with malice aforethought” murder him by “holding him underwater until he became deceased.” Lowry's body was later recovered from the lake.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) announced Tuesday that Moore had been 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. The warrant states that the allegations are based on witness statements and evidence gathered during the investigation.
Hamby, who has served as a McCormick County councilman for many years and currently chairs the council, was reportedly asleep inside the residence during the alleged attack. Authorities have not indicated that Hamby witnessed the incident or was involved in the alleged crime. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Hamby has publicly advocated for foster care for years, according to local media.
The case has shocked the rural community of McCormick County, which is located near the Georgia border. Sheriff Chad Cox described the killing as an extraordinary tragedy. “We want to express our deepest condolences to the friends and 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. He 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 other agencies that assisted in the investigation.
“We are extremely grateful that we live and work in a community where violent crime is not the regular occurrence,” Cox added. “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.”
Just over a month before his death, Lowry had been 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. Later that same day, the department announced Lowry had been found safe. Authorities have not publicly linked that earlier disappearance to the circumstances surrounding his death.
A GoFundMe campaign created by Lowry's relatives described the teen as “an amazing child full of life, love, and charisma.” The fundraiser, organized by his aunt Zyon Simpson, stated that Lowry had recently been living in a temporary foster home. “He loved his parents, family, and friends, and he always wore a smile,” the fundraiser said. A woman identifying herself as Lowry's aunt also mourned him on Facebook, 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.”
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, SLED, and the McCormick County Sheriff's Office for further comment. Authorities have not accused Hamby of any wrongdoing.