A short-term foster placement in South Carolina ended in a deadly attack after authorities said two teenagers assaulted a 13-year-old boy and held him underwater until he died.
Daryl Martinez Lowry, 13, had recently been placed at the home of McCormick County Council Chairman Bernie Hamby while he waited for another foster placement, according to The Augusta Press.
The report said the two accused teens were also foster children living in the same home.
Authorities charged 17-year-old Landen Austin Moore with murder after investigators said he and a 16-year-old became involved in a physical confrontation with Lowry in the early hours of July 20. Investigators allege Lowry suffered knife wounds before the two teens held him underwater, causing his death.
Daryl Martinez Lowry, 13, was killed July 20 after investigators said two teens attacked him at a boat dock in McCormick County, South Carolina. (Chris King Memorial Chapel)
An arrest warrant shared online by the McCormick County Sheriff’s Office states that the incident occurred at a private boat dock on Beauregard Drive in Modoc, South Carolina.
The warrant says Lowry sustained knife lacerations during the altercation and alleges that Moore and the unnamed 16-year-old “did unlawfully, intentionally, and with malice aforethought” kill him by “holding him underwater until he became deceased.”
Clarks Hill Lake in South Carolina, where authorities said a 13-year-old boy was held underwater during a fatal attack. (Katie Goodale / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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.
Landen Austin Moore, 17, was charged with murder in connection with the death of 13-year-old Daryl Martinez Lowry, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. (McCormick County Sheriff’s Office / Detention Center)
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.
READ MORE: Seattle Mayor's Hidden Past Revealed as Father Shares New Insights
Just over a month before his death, Lowry was the subject of a 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. (GoFundMe)
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.”
Authorities say the fatal confrontation involving three juveniles occurred at a boat dock on Clarks Hill Lake in South Carolina. (Katie Goodale / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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.
INC News 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.
