EDGEFIELD, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) – The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has charged a woman after the 2020 death of a 3-year-old.

Codi Raye Scott (Carter), 27, was charged with two counts of unlawfully placing a child at risk on Friday, according to SLED.

Officials say October 13, 2020, the SLED Special Victims Unit was notified of the death of a three-year-old child in Edgefield County.

SLED was requested on January 17, 2023, by the Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office to lead the investigation.

According to arrest warrants, Scott was responsible for the welfare of the 3-year-old child between July 28, 2020 and October 12, 2020.

The warrants state Scott did unlawfully place an unreasonable risk of harm, affecting the child’s life, and physical or mental health.

The arrest warrants say Scott, acting alone or in concert with another, did inflict or allow to be inflicted multiple injuries to the child, including bruising to multiple body parts, such as the chest, back, eye, ear and jaw.

Another arrest warrant states on October 13, 2020, Scott, acting alone or in concert with another, placed an unsafe mouthpiece in the child’s mouth which resulted in upper airway obstruction and caused the death of the child.

Scott was booked into the Edgefield County Detention Center.

The case will be prosecuted by the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

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One person was killed Sunday in a crash that involved a motorcycle and an SUV, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The collision happened at about 11:20 a.m. in Pickens County, said Master Trooper Brandon Bolt. That’s not far from the North Carolina-South Carolina state line.

Both a 2021 Ford SUV and a 2016 KTM motorcycle were driving north on S.C. 11, according to Bolt. The SUV slowed and was turning left into a private driveway when it collided with the motorcycle that was attempting to pass, Bolt said.

The motorcycle rider died, according to Bolt.

The Pickens County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the motorcycle rider.

Bolt said the SUV driver, who was the only person in that vehicle, was not hurt, and no other injuries were reported.

There was no word if the driver was wearing a seat belt, or if the motorcycle rider was wearing a helmet.

The crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

Through Sunday, 447 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,030 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least nine people have died in Pickens County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data.

This week Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Kathleen Brady about the continuing opioid crisis in S.C. Dr. Brady is a Distinguished University Professor and a board-certified psychiatrist specializing in addiction psychiatry at MUSC.

TRANSCRIPT:

Conner: I’m Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Opioid use disorder and overdose remains serious public health problems in South Carolina. Doctor Kathleen Brady is here to talk about the details. Doctor Brady is a Distinguished University Professor and a board certified psychiatrist specializing in addiction psychiatry at MUSC. Doctor Brady, how widespread is opioid use disorder and also overdose in South Carolina now?

Dr. Brady: It remains a pretty significant problem. In South Carolina. Approximately six people per day died of overdose in 2023. That was an increase in 59% between 2019 and 2020, and another 23% between 2020 and 21. And it’s not just in the street opioids that people are buying, but sometimes cannabinoids, stimulants, all sorts of other drugs that people are buying on the street are laced with fentanyl. And fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin and morphine. So, it takes just a very small amount for someone to die from an overdose.

Conner: What’s being done to help prevent opioid use disorder and also overdose in South Carolina?

Dr. Brady: Well, one of the good, bright things on the horizon is that there was a settlement between a number of pharmaceutical companies, as well as distributors of opioids, who had acted somewhat irresponsibly during the early days of the crisis. And that settlement has brought millions of dollars to the field with guardrails. Every state gets a certain amount, and the states were allocated money that was proportional to the opioid related deaths in their state. So, there has been multi-millions coming into South Carolina now. And, money is being used to increase the number of treatment places, to increase the medications that are available for treatment, to give people fentanyl test strips, to give overdose reversal agents. So, all sorts of things are being done. What we have formed with that money too, is something called a center of excellence. MUSC is a part of it. USC, Clemson, as well as DAODAS (Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services), our single state agency. And, we are there to guide communities in using these opioid abatement strategies in the best ways possible through technical assistance and consultation and on-site help with getting the strategies up and running.

Conner: What sort of help is available to individuals in our state who currently have problems with opioid use disorder?

Dr. Brady: Well, every county in the state has a treatment agency, and you can find out the name and number of that on the SAMHSA website (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). That’s samhsa.gov and just look under treatment. But if someone is in crisis situation, and there’s an emergency, another thing that SAMHSA has done is set up a hotline that is a mental health crisis hotline. Just dial 988 and it’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. People can call and you will be linked into people in the state of South Carolina who can tell you about local treatment resources and help you with your current emergency situation.

Conner: Doctor Brady, thanks for this update about opioid use disorder and overdose in South Carolina.

Dr. Brady: You’re welcome. Thanks for having me.

Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I’m Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.

Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.