Insets: Katie Hill Hefner and Rick Elliott Adkins (Chester County Sheriff”s Office). Background: Lawndale Circle in Fort Lawn, South Carolina, where a 9-year-old boy died in an “unsanitary” home, cops say (Google Maps).
A mother and father from South Carolina are accused of placing their children in “an unreasonable risk of harm to their health and overall safety” after the death of their 9-year-old son.
Katie Hill Hefner, 40, and Rick Elliott Adkins, 41, are facing two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child, the Chester County Sheriff’s Office said.
The investigation began on Sept. 20, when deputies responded to a call about an unresponsive child at a home on Lawndale Circle in Fort Lawn, which is about 55 miles north of Columbia.
Paramedics rushed the boy to the hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
“During the investigation, hazardous and unsanitary living conditions were discovered within the residence, including animal feces throughout the home and dried human feces on clothing, floors, and walls,” cops wrote. “Investigators also identified concerns involving the care and welfare of other children residing in the home. These circumstances were determined to have placed the children at an unreasonable risk of harm to their health and overall safety.”
The investigation into the circumstances behind the boy’s death is ongoing, deputies said.
An autopsy will determine the cause and manner of the boy’s death. His name has not been released.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by The Rock Hill Herald, the boy had been vomiting for four days, but his parents “failed to obtain timely medical attention or treatment.” The boy’s 12-year-old sister had not attended school since 2020 and has “apparent developmental and cognitive concerns,” the warrant reportedly said.
Hefner and Adkins also allegedly “failed to obtain appropriate medical evaluations, routine healthcare, or developmental services.”
They were arrested Friday and taken to the Chester County Jail, where they have since posted $80,000 bonds. Their next court dates are set for Nov. 3.
