William R. Simmons, 27, of Loris, South Carolina, was fatally shot in the early morning hours of July 27, 2017. He was found lying in a ditch near Cedar Branch Road after someone who had been with him at a nearby home heard gunshots and went outside. Simmons was taken to a local hospital, transferred to Grand Strand Medical Center, and died about 6 a.m.; the Horry County Coroner’s Office ruled the cause of death a gunshot wound.

The Horry County Police Department opened a homicide investigation that resulted in the arrest of 22-year-old Deterris Lamar Jackson of Loris; he was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and held at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center. An obituary indicates a Deterris Jackson from Loris died February 7, 2018, with a birthdate matching the suspect’s age, suggesting the charged man died before the case reached trial. The cause of his death and the subsequent status of the murder case are not specified.

If anyone knew William Simmons, Deterris Jackson, or has information about the shooting near Cedar Branch Road, please share what is known.