20-year-old Air Force tech found dead at her South Carolina home, officials say
A soldier stationed at a military base in South Carolina recently died, according to the U.S. Air Force.
Airman First Class McKenzie C. Cooper, née Bradley, was found dead at her off-base home Feb. 23, officials at Shaw Air Force Base said in a news release. Cooper was a Force Support Squadron airman serving with the 20th Fighter Wing, according to the release.
The 20-year-old Trenton, Tennessee native enlisted in the Air Force on Feb. 18, 2025, and she arrived at the Air Force base in Sumter, South Carolina on June 10, officials said.
As a member of the 20th Fighter Wing, Cooper served as a retirements, separations, and promotions technician, according to the release.
Information about Cooper’s cause of death was not made public. There was no word if her death is being investigated by either the Air Force or the Sumter County Coroner’s Office.
Officials did not say if foul play was suspected.
“The heart of our squadron is heavy. We didn’t just lose an airman; we lost a vital part of our FSS family,” 20th Force Support Squadron commander Lt. Col. Joseph A. Mitchell said in the release. “McKenzie was someone who brought genuine warmth and spirit to our team. The empty space she leaves behind is immense, and we are all feeling this painful loss. Our thoughts, our strength, and our prayers are with her family and all who cherished McKenzie.”
In a four-month stretch during 2019, at least five airmen stationed at Shaw died. The deaths were reported from May through August 2019, and three of them were suicides while the others were victims of health complications, The State previously reported.
The 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base was established in Sumter in the 1940s before leaving in 1951, then ultimately returning in 1994, officials said. The troops stationed at Shaw provide “combat ready airpower and airmen to meet any challenge, anytime, anywhere,” according to its website.
Shaw is home to more than 8,200 active-duty military members, 1,200 civilian employees and about 12,000 family members, according to the U.S. government.
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This story was originally published March 1, 2026 at 9:45 AM.
