Two Fort Lawn residents have each been charged with two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child after a 9-year-old boy died following an emergency call at a home on Lawndale Circle in Chester County, South Carolina. Deputies responded Sept. 20, 2026, after receiving a report of an unresponsive child. Emergency medical personnel took the boy to MUSC Lancaster, where he was pronounced dead, the Chester County Sheriff’s Office said. The sheriff’s office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s Special Victims Unit investigated the circumstances of the boy’s death. During the investigation, authorities said they found animal feces throughout the residence and dried human feces on clothing, floors and walls. Investigators also raised concerns about the care and welfare of other children in the home, saying the conditions exposed them to an unreasonable risk to their health and safety. Katie Hill Hefner and Rick Elliott Adkins, both of Fort Lawn, were each charged with two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child. Authorities have not released further details about how the boy died, and the investigation remains active.