CHESTER, S.C. — The family of a 13-year-old Chester boy is demanding answers after investigators said he was stabbed and held underwater by two older teens at a South Carolina lake. Daryl Lowry, who was in foster care at the time of his death, was killed during a confrontation near a boat dock in McCormick County, according to state authorities.
Channel 9’s South Carolina reporter Tina Terry learned that the young teen from Chester was in foster care. His foster father and his family are heartbroken.
The boy’s family in Chester is calling for justice and transparency.
“The entire family is hurting,” said Sherry McNeill, a family member of the victim. “He was a well-loved child amongst his entire family, both sides of his family. And for him to be taken away, they’re visibly devastated.”
John and Sherry McNiell spoke with Terry on the phone on Friday about their cousin, Lowry, who was a student at Chester Middle School.
The boy was from Chester, but Lowry was in the custody of the state of South Carolina 100 miles away in a small community called Modoc near Strom Thurmond Lake.
State police said Lowry was at a boat dock when he got into a physical fight with two older boys.
An affidavit said that Lowry had “lacerations from a knife” and the other boys killed him “by holding him underwater until he became deceased.”
State police arrested and charged 17-year-old Landen Austin Moore with murder.
A 16-year-old is in the custody of Juvenile Justice.
“I was devastated when I heard it,” Sherry McNeill said.
McCormick County Council Chairman Bernard Hamby seemed to suggest that Lowry was in his custody. An email from him sent to ABC affiliate WJBF said: “For 13 years, I’ve been fostering boys who needed a gentle place to land during the hardest times of their lives.” He added, “You can never know what a person, even a child, is fully capable of. … And to Daryl, I’m so sorry for the circumstances that brought you to my home and I’m heartbroken by how you were taken from this world.”
“Well, we want full transparency as a community, as a family,” said John McNeill.
The McNeills said they’re organizing a rally in Chester this weekend calling for justice.
Lowry was about to start eighth grade.
“The Chester County School District family extends our sincere condolences to the family of Daryl Lowry, who was one of our beloved students,” the district said in a statement. “We are all mourning his tragic loss. He was loved by many and will forever live in our hearts.”
Students at Chester Middle will be supported with student assistance teams as needed, the district said.
DSS statement:
In regards to your inquiry, due to South Carolina’s confidentiality law, specifically S.C. Code Section 63-7-1990, DSS is unable to provide any comment on the status of any child who may be in the custody of DSS or has previous involvement with the agency involving the child or their parents/caregivers. We would encourage you to reach out to local law enforcement officials for an update on the youth accused in this situation.
As with any open investigation, DSS is unable to answer questions about the situation while it is being investigated to not compromise the investigation as we work alongside our law enforcement partners. If you are seeking records involving the youths involved or the licensed foster parent, you are more than welcome to submit a Freedom of Information Act request..."
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