The Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed the death of a missing Summerton man is being investigated as a homicide after his body was discovered in the Home Branch community Monday evening.
Shortly after 7:30 p.m. on April 14, deputies responded to a dirt road in the area after dispatch received a call from a person walking down the road who reported seeing what appeared to be a body in the woods.
Upon arrival, deputies verified the presence of a deceased individual. Investigators from the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office and agents from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Crime Scene Unit responded to process the scene.
The deceased was identified as 25-year-old Tyrese Najae Lawson of the Summerton area of Clarendon County. Lawson had been reported missing by the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office and was last seen on April 10 in the Santee area of Orangeburg County.
The Clarendon County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and later met with Lawson’s family at the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office. An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the cause of death.
Lawson’s vehicle — a black 2010 Nissan Altima with South Carolina tag number WPP-671 — has not yet been located. The investigation is ongoing and involves the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office, Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office, and SLED.
Anyone with information regarding the case or the whereabouts of Lawson’s vehicle is asked to contact the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office at 803-435-4414 or the tip line at 803-433-TIPS (8477).
