Westminster Boy’s Tragic Passing Last Weekend

A 5-year-old boy from Westminster died early Saturday morning (August 5, 2023) at Prisma Greenville Memorial Hospital, according to Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis. The boy, Daniel Elijah Stancil, had choked on a small metal screw on Thursday evening (August 3, 2023) around 6:00 p.m. at his home. The screw had blocked his airway and caused him to go into cardiac arrest.

EMS managed to dislodge the screw from his throat, but he had already suffered severe injury to his airway. He was initially taken to the emergency department at Oconee Memorial Hospital and then transferred to Greenville for further care.

An autopsy revealed that Daniel died from complications of asphyxiation due to a foreign body airway obstruction. His death was classified as accidental.