Toddler from New York dies in septic tank while visiting South Carolina, coroner says

A toddler from New York died after falling into a septic tank while visiting a home in South Carolina, according to Cherokee County coroner Dennis Fowler.

The boy was identified as 2-year-old Hawkins Dusty Abercrombie of Calcium, New York, Fowler said in a news release.

It happened Tuesday, May 10, at a home on Bonner Road, in a largely rural area northwest of Gaffney, he said.

“This child, two siblings and his mom were visiting friends ... when the mother said she noticed him missing. During a search around the home the lid on a septic tank was noticed to have been upside down,” Fowler said.

“The mother along with other people at the house removed the lid and found a pacifier floating in the water. The boy was later discovered underwater.”

He was quickly removed and CPR was initiated, but the boy did not survive. He was pronounced dead after arriving at Cherokee Medical Center, officials said.

An investigation is underway, including an autopsy, Fowler said.

Hawkins was born in Hawaii and is the son of Stephen Brian and Kristen Arthur Abercrombie, according to his obituary. He had two brothers, Gaines Clyde Abercrombie, 5, and Pierce Bodhi Abercrombie, 3, the obituary says.

This story was originally published May 10, 2022 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Toddler from New York dies in septic tank while visiting South Carolina, coroner says."