(Kiawah Island, SC) On June 22, 2019, shortly after 2:00 p.m., Charleston County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a report of a missing person, missing from the 100 block of Kiawah Island Club Drive. The missing person, a male, had not been seen since 10:00 that morning, although his vehicle was still on the premises.
Deputies utilized K9s to search the immediate area. A K9 track led deputies to the edge of large pond behind the subject’s property. Due to the large size and irregular shape of the pond, deputies requested the Sheriff’s Office helicopter to canvass the area by air. Helicopter observers located what appeared to be a motionless person in the pond, out of sight from the residence.
The Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol also responded, and soon located and confirmed the individual. The deceased individual had bite marks and wounds consistent in appearance with an alligator encounter. In light of this information, the Sheriff’s Office requested the SC Department of Natural Resources to assist with the investigation.
The Coroner’s Office was also notified, and is expected to perform an autopsy to try to determine the cause of death.
Based on initial appearance, deputies suspect that the deceased individual is the person originally reported as missing.
