Teen Charged With Murder in Death of 13-Year-Old Foster Child in South Carolina Lake

Authorities in South Carolina have charged a 17-year-old with murder following the drowning death of a 13-year-old foster child at the residence of McCormick County Council Chairman Bernie Hamby. According to law enforcement, the victim, Daryl Martinez Lowry, was held underwater in a lake on the property during the early morning hours of July 20, resulting in his death.

Investigators allege that Landen Austin Moore, 17, and an unidentified 16-year-old—both foster children residing at the home—attacked Lowry and inflicted knife wounds before drowning him at a private boat dock on Beauregard Drive in Modoc. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division announced the murder charge Tuesday after the McCormick County Sheriff’s Office requested the state agency’s involvement in the investigation.

Moore was booked into the McCormick County Detention Center following his arrest. The 16-year-old suspect was transported to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, though authorities have not publicly disclosed whether charges have been filed against the minor. An arrest warrant alleges the two teens acted with “malice aforethought” in carrying out the killing.

Hamby was inside the residence during the alleged attack and has not been accused of involvement in the crime. According to reports, Lowry had recently arrived at the foster placement while awaiting a different living arrangement. Just over a month before his death, the boy had been the subject of a missing child investigation in his hometown of Chester before being located safe on June 12.

McCormick County Sheriff Chad Cox released a statement expressing condolences to Lowry’s family and community members while emphasizing the collaborative nature of the investigation. The case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, with SLED continuing its active investigation.