Newberry County Coroner’s Office has partnered with the S.C. Child Death Investigation Task Force to develop a team to serve Newberry County. The mission of this group is to carefully review, critique and investigate any child death or near death incident (excluding traffic accidents). The task force will consist of representatives from multiple agencies to include the Coroner’s Office, Sheriff’s Dept., Police Depts., Solicitor’s Office, SLED, DSS, EMS, and a Child Abuse Pediatrician.
The team’s responsibility will begin at the scene of the death and continue throughout the course of the investigation until its completion. The 911 Communications Center will notify all task force members through a group text, in which members will receive relevant information about the death and the scene location; however, the circumstances of each case will determine the level of involvement for each team member.
“The death of a child is never a topic that people are comfortable discussing”, said Coroner Laura Kneece, “but it’s our duty to be advocates for these children and speak for those who can’t speak for themselves. There hasn’t been a need to deploy the task force since it became effective on July 20, 2018, and we pray that need never comes”, added Kneece.
Kneece said “this task force is just one more way that we can better serve the families of Newberry County by doing our best to provide answers during a time when they often seek them the most.”
