Foster Child Drowned in Lake by Two Teens on Politician’s Property
Authorities Investigate Tragic Death of Thirteen-Year-Old
Explorehotelworld.com – A thirteen-year-old foster child allegedly drowned in a lake after being held underwater by two teenagers at a local politician’s residence. Daryl Martinez Lowry had recently moved into the home of McCormick County Council Chairman Bernie Hamby while awaiting permanent foster placement. According to The Augusta Press, both suspects were also foster children living at the same household. Investigators say the teens assaulted Lowry and kept him submerged until he died.
Landen Austin Moore, seventeen, now faces murder charges in connection with the incident. Authorities report that Moore and a sixteen-year-old companion confronted Lowry during the early morning hours of July 20. The altercation resulted in knife wounds before the two teenagers allegedly held the boy underwater until he passed away. The confrontation reportedly occurred at a private boat dock on Beauregard Drive in Modoc, South Carolina, according to an arrest warrant from the McCormick County Sheriff’s Office.
The warrant alleges that Lowry sustained multiple knife lacerations during the struggle. Moore and the unnamed sixteen-year-old then “did unlawfully, intentionally, and with malice aforethought” murder him by “holding him underwater until he became deceased.” The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division announced Tuesday that Moore was formally charged with murder after the sheriff’s office requested a state-level investigation. Moore was subsequently booked into the McCormick County Detention Center.
Community Responds to Tragedy
The warrant indicates that these allegations stem from witness statements and evidence collected throughout the investigation. Authorities confirmed that the sixteen-year-old allegedly involved in the incident was transported to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. SLED has not yet made a public announcement regarding whether the juvenile has been formally charged. According to The Augusta Press, Hamby was sleeping inside the residence when the alleged attack occurred. Lowry’s body was eventually recovered from the lake where the incident took place.
Authorities have not stated that Hamby witnessed the incident or participated in the alleged crime. Hamby, a long-serving McCormick County councilman who currently holds the position of council chairman, has publicly championed foster care initiatives for many years. Just over a month before his death, Lowry became the subject of a missing child investigation in his hometown of Chester, South Carolina. On June 12, the Chester Police Department requested assistance from the public in locating the thirteen-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 encouraged parents, neighbors, and local businesses to review surveillance cameras and report “anything suspicious or unusual,” noting that officers and investigators were actively pursuing leads. Later that same day, the department announced that Lowry had been found safe. Authorities have not publicly connected Lowry’s earlier disappearance to the circumstances surrounding his death.
Family Seeks Justice
A GoFundMe campaign established by Lowry’s relatives indicates that the teenager had recently been residing 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 explains. 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 continues.
“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 characterized the killing as an extraordinary tragedy for the rural community while expressing gratitude toward the agencies that assisted with the investigation. “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 Juvenile Justice, and other partners for their support during this difficult time.
