South Carolina

Body found in car submerged in pond, SC Highway Patrol investigating

Mateo Jaciel Ayala-Martinez, 1, is dead after his father, Elgar Orlando Ayala, struck him with a pickup truck while backing up out of the driveway on Monday.
Mateo Jaciel Ayala-Martinez, 1, is dead after his father, Elgar Orlando Ayala, struck him with a pickup truck while backing up out of the driveway on Monday. Getty Images/iStockphoto

S.C. Highway Patrol is investigating after a body was found inside an SUV submerged in a pond early Thursday.

The 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe was discovered in the pond around 4 a.m. Thursday. The only person found inside the Tahoe was deceased. That person has not been identified.

Investigators are working to determine how the SUV ended up in the pond on private land in Colleton County.

That investigation is ongoing, Master Trooper Brian Lee said in an audio report released by Highway Patrol.

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Bristow Marchant
The State
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Bristow Marchant covers local government, schools and community in Lexington County for The State. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 2007. He has almost 20 years of experience covering South Carolina at the Clinton Chronicle, Sumter Item and Rock Hill Herald. He joined The State in 2016. Bristow has won numerous awards, most recently the S.C. Press Association’s 2024 education reporting award.  Support my work with a digital subscription
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