SLED CHARGES TWO PEOPLE IN OCONEE COUNTY WITH HOMICIDE BY CHILD ABUSE

On Friday, September 19, 2025, at approximately 6:40 a.m., the Oconee County Coroner’s Office responded to 417 Forest Acres Circle near Walhalla regarding a reported child death. A 4-year-old boy, identified as Isaiah Joseph Dionne, was found unresponsive by his parents, and EMS had been called around 6:20 a.m. The child was pronounced dead at the scene. Due to the suspicious nature of the death, SLED’s Special Victims Unit was called in and became the lead investigating agency.

On Friday evening, September 19, 2025, Destiny Shay Dionne, the child’s mother, and Joshua Latimer, the stepfather (a former South Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper), were arrested by SLED. Initially, both Dionne and Latimer were charged with two counts each of unlawful conduct toward a child, in reference to a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old.

Following an autopsy on Monday morning, the death of Isaiah Joseph Dionne was ruled a homicide. Subsequently, Dionne was also charged with homicide by child abuse, while Latimer was charged with homicide by child abuse (aid/abetting).

An autopsy was conducted, but details regarding the cause of death are awaiting further tests. Latimer was terminated from his employment with the South Carolina Highway Patrol on the day of his arrest, September 19, 2025.

Both Dionne and Latimer remained in jail, and their cases will be prosecuted by the Tenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office.