On a December morning in 2019, 19-year-old Martavis Deangelo Armstrong McKenzie of Manning, South Carolina, was found dead on a dirt road in Clarendon County near Camilla Drive. Emergency medical services pronounced him dead at the scene; his body showed what appeared to be gunshot wounds. The Clarendon County Coroner’s Office ruled the death a homicide and an autopsy was scheduled to determine the exact cause of death. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division assisted the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office in the initial investigation.

For weeks the case produced few leads and no publicly identified suspects. In late January 2020 the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office announced arrests in the case: 18-year-olds Jevon Isaiah Swanigan and Traevion Tylek York, both of Manning. Authorities said both knew McKenzie and charged them with one count of murder and one count of possession of a weapon during a violent crime, describing a personal vendetta as the apparent motive. The investigation was ongoing and anyone with information was asked to contact law enforcement.

If anyone knew Martavis, his movements that December morning, or has information about acquaintances in Manning at that time, please share what you know with investigators.