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by ERIN PARROTT
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Just days after 13-year-old Daryl Martinez Lowry was allegedly murdered while in South Carolina’s foster care system, his family has retained attorney Tyler Bailey to conduct an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
The announcement comes as the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) continues its homicide investigation into the July 20, 2026 killing at a residential boat dock on Clarks Hill Lake in Modoc, S.C., where investigators allege two teenagers held Lowry underwater until he drowned following a physical altercation.
As FITSNews previously reported, one suspect, 17-year-old Landen Austin Moore, has been charged with murder – while a 16-year-old juvenile also remains in custody – awaiting prosecution by the office of S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson.
In a statement released Thursday (July 23, 2026), Bailey said his firm’s investigation will focus on questions that extend beyond the criminal case.
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“Daryl was just 13 years old,” Bailey said in the statement. “He was in the custody of the state of South Carolina. He had recently been placed in that foster home. Those three facts sit at the center of everything that comes next.”
While emphasizing his firm’s support for SLED’s ongoing investigation and the attorney general’s prosecution, Bailey said the family’s concerns center on how Lowry came to be placed in the foster home and whether the state fulfilled its responsibility to protect him.
“Our questions are different than those the investigative bodies are asking,” said Bailey. “Daryl’s family wants to know how this placement made? What was known about that home and the other children living in it? Who was responsible for supervising Daryl overnight, and where were they at the time of his death?”
Bailey added that when South Carolina removes a child from his or her family and places that child into state custody, “it accepts a duty to keep that child alive.”
“We intend to find out whether that duty was met,” he said.
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RELATED | RURAL S.C. TEEN CHARGED WITH MURDER
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According to Bailey, the family’s investigation will run parallel to – but remain separate from – the criminal case. The attorney also asked the public to respect the family’s privacy as they prepare to bury the 13-year-old.
“Daryl’s family is now planning his funeral,” Bailey said. “They have asked for privacy while they lay their son to rest, and we ask the public and media to honor that.”
Bailey said his firm will provide updates as additional information becomes available.
“Daryl and his family deserved so much better than what happened on that dock,” Bailey concluded. “We intend to get his family the answers they deserve.”
Keep it tuned to FITSNews for the latest developments in this case…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2025 with a bachelor degree in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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