South Carolina Family Seeks Answers After Roadway Attack

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Family members of a woman left for dead in the middle of South Carolina roadway with near-fatal injuries are pleading with the public for answers – hoping to supply law enforcement with leads as it continues to investigate this unsolved crime.

Jenn Drummond of James Island, S.C. was discovered at approximately 5:40 a.m. EDT on the morning of June 21, 2023 by a passerby – a woman who was taking her parents to the Charleston International Airport at the time. Her unconscious body was laying in the middle of Woodland Shores Road near Riverland Drive – approximately three miles southwest of the Charleston peninsula as the crow flies.

Drummond was discovered mere feet away from her driveway, bleeding profusely from a blunt force trauma wound to the head …

(Click to view)

The woman who found Drummond – Laura Cady – told reporter Melissa Rademaker of WCSC TV-5 (CBS -Charleston) she doesn’t normally take the route she chose on that fateful Wednesday morning. Typically, she bypasses Woodland Shores and takes an earlier northbound turn. On this particular morning, though, she told Rademaker “for some reason I turned off my blinker.”

As the scene came into focus in her headlights, Cady said she initially thought Drummond’s body was a “trash bag” or a “box.” Upon realizing it was in fact a seriously injured woman, she immediately called 9-1-1 – and stayed with Drummond until emergency responders arrived on the scene and transported her to a nearby hospital.

Drummond sustained numerous injuries in the attack: A fractured skull, two fractured vertebrae in her neck and an injury to her left side from her lower rib cage down to her hip.

***

Investigators with the Charleston County sheriff’s office have not announced any suspects in connection with the attack. Nor have they publicly indicated whether they think happened to Drummond.

According to a June 30, 2023 news release (.jpg), the agency’s traffic services unit launched an investigation “to determine what led to Drummond’s injuries” – which they described as “suspicious.”

“Part of their investigation involves determining whether a vehicle struck Drummond,” the release noted.

As part of their inquiries, Charleston investigators published three blurred surveillance images of vehicles which were reportedly taken “by a camera near the incident location.” The first image depicted “a vehicle, possibly a pickup” passing through Woodland Shores Road at approximately 5:09 a.m. EDT. – just thirty minutes before Drummond was discovered.

(Click to view)

The second image showed “a vehicle, possibly a sedan” passing through the area just four minutes later, at 5:13 a.m. EDT.

(Click to view)

The third image is of “a vehicle, possibly an SUV” which passed through the area five minutes after that, at approximately 5:18 a.m. EDT – approximately twenty minutes before Drummond was discovered.

(Click to view)

Anyone with information regarding any of these vehicles is urged to contact contact master deputy Colt Arrington at 843-202-1700 (or via email here).

Investigators are hopeful these images will enable them to undertake a process of elimination – while encouraging drivers or other members of the public to speak up. Matching any of these vehicles to cars, trucks or SUVs which have recently put in for repairs – or windshield replacement – could also point to potential leads in the case.

While Drummond’s family members hope and pray for a break in the investigation, they are also continuing to hope and pray for the recovery of their loved one.

For two weeks following the incident, Drummond was in a medically induced coma. Within the last few days, though, she has been making progress. She is now out of the coma, but remains in critical condition and her relatives – including veteran Charleston-based communications strategist Chris Drummond – say she is still struggling to communicate with her loved ones.

(Click to view)

Jenn Drummond, 34, was raised in Summerville, S.C. She has spent most of her adult life in the James and John’s Island working in the food and beverage business. Four years ago, she started an animal care business.

Chris Drummond – who has been spearheading the effort to find answers – said the family has announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of his niece’s assailant(s).

“The fact that someone left Jenn in the street is not right,” Drummond told reporters during a press conference earlier this week. “It’s evil what someone has done to her … you don’t leave a human being in the middle of the street and drive away. This person clearly has no compassion for human beings.”

“Someone knows something,” Drummond wrote on his Facebook page earlier today. “The success of finding the person(s) responsible for leaving my niece in the middle of the road will come from the public. The public’s involvement to solve this horrific crime will come from viewers of television or by those reading newspapers.”

Drummond thanked all of the media outlets who have covered his niece’s story … helping spread the word about what happened to her as well as efforts by investigators, friends and family and concerned citizens to track down those responsible.

(Click to view)

“The media has been very helpful by giving air time and space in the newspaper to find the person who did this to my niece,” he said. “I can’t thank them enough.”

Again, anyone with information on this case is urged to contact master deputy Colt Arrington at 843-202-1700 or via email here. They can also reach out to Crime Stoppers of the Lowcountry at 843-554-1111.

Count on this news outlet to keep our audience apprised as to any developments in this case …

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven children.

***

WANNA SOUND OFF?

Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.