An arrest has been made in connection with the 2025 killing of a Summerton man whose disappearance prompted a months-long, multi-agency investigation in Clarendon County.
The Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office announced this morning that 25-year-old Markeem Asontay Williams of Paxville was arrested Mar. 18 and charged in the April 2025 murder of 25-year-old Tyrese Najae Lawson.
Lawson was first reported missing last spring after family members contacted the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office, saying he had last been seen in the Santee area. Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said at the time that Lawson, of Summerton, was last seen in or near Santee on April 10.
According to the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office, investigators later determined Lawson was last seen in Clarendon County, where he was officially reported missing on April 13, 2025.
Lawson’s body was found the next day in a wooded area on Pocalla Drive in Clarendon County. Authorities later recovered his vehicle April 21 behind an abandoned residence on Porter Road.
Investigators continued working the case for months. In July 2025, the sheriff’s office partnered with Sumter Crimestoppers to seek the public’s help in the homicide investigation, offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Billboards seeking information in the case were still visible in the area as recently as early March.
Williams’ arrest was announced in a press release issued by the sheriff’s office, which said the case has remained active.
“This has been an ongoing investigation since April 2025 involving multiple agencies,” the release stated.
The sheriff’s office said agencies assisting in the investigation included the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Sumter City Police Department, Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office, ATF Charleston, DEA Columbia and the FBI Columbia field office.
No additional details about the circumstances of Lawson’s death or Williams’ arrest were immediately released.
