SC family wants answers after teen was murdered in foster care home

CHESTER COUNTY, SC. – The family of a 13-year-old killed at a South Carolina boat dock while in foster care is demanding answering about his foster care placement.

Lowry was living in Chester County until Department of Social Services removed him from his home on July 16th. He was relocated to a foster home more than 100 miles away in McCormick County. He died four days later.

“The children were left unsupervised at the time this happened. This is at a foster home where you know that there may be children who are going through certain things,” Tyler Bailey, Attorney for Lowry’s family said.

An unnamed 16-year-old is now in juvenile custody and 17-year-old Landen Moore is facing murder charges. Police say Lowry was stabbed and held underwater at Strom Thurmond Lake at the home of foster parent McCormick County Council Chairman Bernie Hamby. Police say Hamby was sleeping at the time of the crime.

“There’s no reason why children should have been left unsupervised, no reason by a lake unsupervised,” Bailey said.

Lowry’s family attorney is doing their own investigation into the home where he was placed.

“Parents have reached out to me about some complaints that they have had with their children at Mr. Hamby’s residence,” Bailey said.

The family wants criminal accountability and more safeguards in the child welfare system.

“When the state takes custody of a child, their first priority is to make sure that child is safe and they have a duty to keep that child safe. Keeping them alive goes without saying,” Bailey said.

The family continues to grieve and they want justice for Daryl beyond the murder charges.

“It’s unreal still. It’s unbelievable,” Sanders said.

It is unclear why Lowry was placed in the foster care system in the first place. His family’s attorney would not address that and instead said he wanted to focus on DSS and their duty to care for children in their custody.