Berkeley County Coroner’s Office holding funeral for unidentified remains

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – The Berkeley County Coroner’s Office is burying the remains of an unidentified individual found at Santee Cooper and another unidentified person who died in the College Park Road area.

The private burial will take place at the Berkeley Memorial Gardens Cemetery on Friday at 11:30 a.m.

“Hundreds of hours have been invested by the coroner’s office, sheriff’s office, and Santee Cooper law enforcement in an attempt to identify these decedents,” Coroner Darnell Hartwell said. “Autopsies, dental examinations, fingerprints, DNA, genetic genealogy and a facial artist have all been utilized in trying to identify both decedents.”

Coroner Hartwell added that both deaths are being investigated as suspicious.

The Berkeley County Supervisor and Berkeley County Council assisted with providing funding for the burial.

Remains found at Santee Cooper

Authorities received a 911 call on Sunday, June 2, about possible human remains found at the Santee Cooper Cross Generating Station Coal Yard.

The coroner’s office responded to the scene. The remains were recovered with the help of Santee Cooper employees, Berkeley County deputies, Berkeley County Emergency Management and the local fire department.

Those remains were later determined to be human. An autopsy was performed on June 6, but the manner of death has not been released.

College Park Road death

On Sept. 29, 2023, responders were called to a scene in the College Park Road area of Summerville regarding a deceased male.

The coroner’s office said that the man could have frequented the area and the Red Oak Circle neighborhood in Summerville.

Officials believe the man is Hispanic or Native American, between 45-70 years old, when he died with gray hair. He was about five feet six inches tall and weighed between 155 to 175 pounds.

When found, he wore a maroon University of South Carolina baseball hat and eyeglasses.