SLED Charges Two Individuals in Connection with the Death of a Child in Oconee County

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has announced charges of unlawful conduct toward a child for Joshua Emanuel Lamar Latimer, 30, and Destiny Shay Dionne, 24, both of whom were booked into the Oconee County jail.

According to arrest warrants, Latimer and Dionne are accused of placing two male children, ages two and four, at an unreasonable risk of harm. The charges stem from an investigation into the death of the four-year-old, who died at a home on Forest Acres Circle near Walhalla. Emergency services were dispatched to the home around 6:20 a.m. Friday, September 19 for a cardiac arrest patient, and the Oconee County Coroner’s Office was called to the scene a short time later.

SLED’s Special Victims Unit is investigating the death with the assistance of the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office and Coroner’s Office. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday to determine the cause of death.

Both Latimer and Dionne remain in custody at the Oconee County Detention Center on a $20,000 bond. If released, they will be required to wear a GPS monitor. Further information is expected to be released after the autopsy.