10-year-old found on her bed with a gunshot wound to the head, SC coroner says
A 10-year-old girl was shot and killed Wednesday in South Carolina, according to the Aiken County Coroner’s Office.
Just before midnight, Lavinia Lowe was found on her bed with a gunshot wound to the head, Coroner Darryl Ables said Thursday. Lavina was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:30 a.m. Thursday, according to Ables.
An autopsy will be performed next week in Newberry, Ables said.
Lavinia was found by deputies who responded to a report of a shooting at her home in the 100 block of Dorsett-Kenzie Road in Beech Island, the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office said.
In addition to the coroner’s office, members of the forensic unit from the sheriff’s office as well as the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division responded to the scene.
No other injuries were reported.
Information about the shooting, and who pulled the trigger was not available. There was no word about a possible motive for the shooting.
No arrests have been reported, but the shooting continues to be investigated by the sheriff’s office.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 803-642-1761, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit a tip online.
“Any murder is unacceptable, but the murder of an innocent child is the most depraved act possible and these families, and this community should not have to endure acts like this,” Sheriff Marty Sawyer said in a news release. “The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office has all its resources focused on this murder and the murder that occurred over the weekend.”
Sawyer was referencing the shooting death of 18-year-old Warrenville resident Tranard E. Sheppard. The teenager’s body was found in a yard in the 400 block of Sarah Street early Sunday morning, the sheriff’s office said.
Sheppard had been shot multiple times in the body and he was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:56 a.m., according to Ables.
No arrests have been reported in connection to Sheppard’s death.
“I have requested help from other local agencies, state agencies, and federal agencies to assist us with these two cases,” Sawyer said.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREThis is a breaking news story
In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.
This story was originally published June 26, 2025 at 11:22 AM with the headline "10-year-old found on her bed with a gunshot wound to the head, SC coroner says."
