In the early morning of July 20, 2026, authorities in McCormick County, South Carolina, were called to a boat dock in the Modoc Shores area along Clarks Hill Lake. There they recovered the b*dy of 13-year-old Daryl Martinez Lowry. What started as a routine response quickly became a serious investigation that has shocked the local community and raised hard questions about the foster care system.

According to charging documents from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), Lowry was involved in a physical fight at the dock with two other teenagers who lived in the same foster home. During the altercation, the 13-year-old suffered several lacerations from a knife. Investigators say 17-year-old Landen Austin Moore and an unnamed 16-year-old then held Lowry underwater until he drwnd. The arrest warrant states the actions were done “unlawfully, intentionally, and with malice aforethought.”

Moore was arrested and charged with mrdr. He was booked into the McCormick County Detention Center, and a magistrate later denied him bond. The 16-year-old was taken into custody by the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. Officials have not released the younger teen’s name or the exact charges against him.

The case is especially painful because of the living arrangement of the three boys. Daryl Lowry, originally from Chester County, had only recently been placed as a temporary foster child in the home of McCormick County Council Chairman Bernie Hamby while waiting for a longer-term placement. Both Moore and the 16-year-old were also foster children staying in the same house. Reports indicate that Hamby was asleep inside the residence when the violence happened at the nearby dock.

In the days after the incident, Lowry’s family hired attorney Tyler Bailey to carry out an independent investigation. They are seeking answers about how the placement was handled, the level of supervision, and whether the state did enough to keep the child safe while he was in its care. Bailey’s office has asked the public and media to respect the family’s privacy as they prepare to say goodbye, stating that Daryl and his loved ones “deserved so much better than what happened on that dock.”

McCormick County Council Chair Bernie Hamby later released a statement saying his “heart is shattered” by the loss of a child under his care. Local law enforcement and SLED have noted the quick response that led to the arrests while stressing that this level of violence is unusual for the area.

As of late July 2026, the case is still moving forward. Moore remains in custody facing a mrdr charge, and the juvenile matter involving the second teen is being handled through the Department of Juvenile Justice. The d*ath of Daryl Lowry has started wider conversations about foster care oversight and the safety of children placed in temporary homes.

Source links: https://www.wjbf.com/news/crime-news/mccormick-county-teen-charged-with-murder-of-13-year-old/
https://www.wjbf.com/news/family-of-13-year-old-daryl-lowry-hires-attorney-for-independent-investigation/
https://www.wyff4.com/article/teen-accused-of-holding-boy-underwater-death/73228443
https://www.wrdw.com/2026/07/21/modoc-teen-charged-with-murder-after-boys-body-found-lake-dock/