White Teen Charged in Drowning Death of Black 13-Year-Old Daryl Martinez Lowry

MODOC, S.C. — Thirteen-year-old Daryl Martinez Lowry was killed near a residential dock in the Modoc Shores area Monday morning after being stabbed and held underwater until he drowned at Strom Thurmond Lake. State law enforcement agents subsequently arrested seventeen-year-old Landen Austin Moore on murder charges after preliminary on-scene investigations by county deputies and state investigators.

Sworn arrest warrants detailed a violent assault involving Moore, an unnamed sixteen-year-old accomplice, and the victim along the rural shoreline, according to WRDW. Court documents indicate Lowry suffered knife wounds before suspects forcefully submerged his head beneath the surface until he ceased breathing.

Authorities transported the sixteen-year-old juvenile suspect to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice while Moore remains locked inside the McCormick County Detention Center, reported by Law&Crime. McCormick County Sheriff's Office representatives formally requested that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division lead the primary inquiry due to an undisclosed conflict of interest involving local personnel.

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division officials characterized the homicide as an active and ongoing criminal investigation while gathering forensic evidence from the waterfront property. South Carolina Attorney General prosecutors assumed full responsibility for leading subsequent court proceedings as forensic pathologists finalize official autopsy reports.

Emergency responders originally rushed to the waterfront setting around mid-morning following frantic distress calls placed by lakeside bystanders. All three teenagers resided together inside the same temporary group home facility situated near the rural lakefront locale, sharing domestic supervision under state welfare placement protocols.

Tuesday evening, neighbors converged near the waterfront neighborhood, placing floral arrangements and candles along the wooden pier structure to honor the young victim, prompting state welfare officials to initiate comprehensive internal administrative reviews regarding placement supervision protocols following the violent killing.

The heartbroken family members in Chester arranged memorial proceedings while awaiting final state forensic examination summaries from regional pathologists. "The investigation is still active and ongoing at this time, and additional details will be released as they become available through official channels," state investigative spokespersons noted during public briefings.