South Carolina P.O.

Box 21398
Columbia, South Carolina
Law Enforcement Division 29221-1398

Henry D 111cA1aster, Governor

Tel: (803) 737-9000
Mark A. Keel Chief

November 14, 2022

INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

TO: File 31-22-0068

FROM: Special Agent Shakera Shider

RE: Death Investigation

Carr, Amya (Victim/Deceased)

COUNTY: Orangeburg

Introduction
On May 27, 2022, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) received a written
request (Attachment 1) from Chief Timothy Taylor of the South Carolina State University
Police Department (SCSUPD) to investigate the death of a student. On April 13, 2022, Amya
Carr was found in distress in her dormitory room at South Carolina State University (SCSU)
and transported to The Regional Medical Center (TRMC) in Orangeburg, SC, where she was
pronounced deceased. SLED Lieutenant (Lt.) Shaun Harley assigned Special Agent (S/A)
Shakera Shider to conduct the investigation.

Overview
According to SCSUPD incident report and the initial briefing by Chief Taylor (Attachment 2),
on April 13, 2022, at approximately 5:50 a.m., Chief Timothy Taylor received a call from
Doctor (Dr.) Tamara Jefferies-Jackson, PhD. who is the Vice President of Student Affairs at

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SCSU in reference to one the university's students having an asthma attack and was taken to
TRMC in Orangeburg, SC. Agent's Note: The above incident date referenced reflects the
correct incident date of Carr's death. The SCSUPD incident report provided an incorrect
incident date. Dr. Jackson advised Agent Shider that she was contacted by Deputy Coroner
Michael Bartley on April 13, 2022, to advise her about the student, identified as Amya Carr,
being transported to the hospital. Upon Chief Taylor's arrival at the hospital, he met with the
emergency room (ER) nurse who indicated the female student, identified as Amya Carr, was
brought into the ER by other students because she was having an asthma attack. Carr passed
away while she was being treated. Agent's Note: Chief Taylor did not provide the name of the
ER nurse that he spoke with at TRMC in the incident report. Chief Taylor contacted SCSUPD
Captain (Capt.) Maurisha Scott, told her about the unfortunate passing of Carr, to go to Carr's
dormitory room to secure it, and treat it as a crime scene. Approximately ten minutes later,
Capt. Scott called Chief Taylor back and told him that she secured Carr's dormitory room,
located in Suites, and nothing seemed out of place to cause her to feel like a crime had
been committed in the room. She also stated that a bag of green leafy substance that appeared
to be marijuana was found and collected from the inside of Carr's desk drawer. Agent's Note:
Chief Taylor indicated that crime scene photos were not taken of Carr's dormitory room.

Chief Taylor spoke with the ER doctor who indicated that Carr was brought to the hospital by a
group of students from SCSU because Carr was having an asthma attack. The doctor said his
team did everything to resuscitate her, but her lungs were filled with too much fluid from the
asthma attack. Agent's Note: Chief Taylor did not provide the name of the ER doctor he spoke
with at TRMC in the incident report. After obtaining the medical records, the attending
physician was identified as Dr. Charles Staples, MD. It is unclear as to whether Dr. Staples
was the doctor with whom Chief Taylor spoke. Chief Taylor called Dr. Jackson to advise her of
the passing of Carr. Chief Taylor indicated that he and Michael Bartley, who is the Deputy
Coroner of Orangeburg, SC, examined Carr's body for signs of foul play. According to Chief
Taylor, no evidence of foul play was found. They did not observe any marks or bruises on
Carr's body, which would make them think a crime had been committed.
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Chief Taylor spoke with Valencia Canzater, Carr's mother, and told her Carr passed away.
According to Chief Taylor, Canzater told him that Carr had a long history of asthma, and Carr
called her several times hours before her death telling her that her asthma was acting up, and she
could not breathe that well. With all the information given by ER doctor and the examination
by himself and Deputy Coroner Bartley, Chief Taylor documented in his report that the cause of
death was determined to be natural, caused by an asthma attack.

On April 13, 2022, SCSUPD Sergeant (Sgt.) Lamonte Edwards prepared a Supplemental
Miscellaneous Report (Attachment 3). Agent's Note: The above incident date referenced
reflected the correct incident date of a 911 hang up call. The SCSUPD Supplemental
Miscellaneous Report provided an incorrect incident date. Sgt. Edwards documented that he
received a call from SCSU dispatch stating they received a call from Orangeburg County 911 in
reference to a 911 hang up call. Agent's Note: A copy of the recorded, hang up cal/from
Orangeburg County Dispatch will be obtained and provided in an addendum report. Dispatch
advised that someone called and stated that they needed emergency medical services (EMS).
Dispatch then stated that after further questioning, the caller ended that call. The call originated
on the SCSU campus near Fields Street. Sgt. Edwards patrolled the area and saw several
students walking, but they all stated they did not call for assistance and did not hear or see any
disturbances while being out.

Sgt. Edwards asked another student who was out completing physical training (PT) with the
ROTC program if she heard anyone yelling or saw anyone in distress. The student said she did
hear some students yelling from the parking lot behind building The student also indicated
that there were students yelling that someone could not breathe, and they were going to take her
to the hospital.

Summary
Agent's Note: The interviews summarized in this report represent the synopsis of the interviews
and are not verbatim transcripts unless otherwise indicated. Please refer to the corresponding
attachments for the complete interviews.
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On June 29, 2022, S/A Shider was provided a written statement via email from former SCSUPD
Capt. Maurisha Scott (Attachment 4). On June 30, 2022, S/A Shider conducted an audio/video
recorded interview with Capt. Scott at her residence in Columbia, SC to confirm her statement.
Capt. Scott was employed with SCSUPD from March 16, 2022, until April 30, 2022. Agent's
Note: Capt. Scott advised Agent Shider that she resigned from SCSUPD due to departmental
internal issues. The statement was reviewed, and the following information was provided: She
was scheduled to work from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on April 13, 2022. When she arrived at
work, she was briefed by Sgt. Edwards and the dispatcher on duty. She was told that SCSU
dispatch received a distress call, but the call was dropped, and they did not know the reason for
the call. Dispatch was able to advise that the call came from a location on campus, but when
law enforcement arrived at the call location, no one was there.

Later that morning, she received a call from Chief Taylor stating he was headed to Orangeburg
because a student had been transported to the hospital. A few hours later, she received another
call from Chief Taylor. He asked her to go to Carr's dormitory room to see if there were any
suicide notes, because he believed it may have been a suicide. Capt. Scott and SCSUPD Officer
LaVar Johnson went to Carr's dormitory room, which is in Suites on the campus of
SCSU. Once inside, she noticed that Carr's keys and wallet were still inside the room. She and
Officer Johnson proceeded to look through all notebooks and any papers to see if there were any
written suicide letters left behind. There were no letters found. Also, while searching the
dormitory room, Capt. Scott stated she noticed several empty breathing treatment containers
throughout the room and a green leafy substance in a plastic bag located in the desk drawer.
Capt. Scott took pictures of the substance with her state issued cellular phone and sent all the
pictures to Chief Taylor. Next, she called Chief Taylor to receive instructions, and he indicated
to secure the substance and exit the room. Due to the absence of evidence bags and no access to
the locked evidence room, she secured the substance in a drawer located in the patrol office.
Agent's Note: The pictures of the green leafy substance were not located or provided to Agent
Shider.

A few days later, Chief Taylor asked Capt. Scott if she had written a report on Carr's death.
She explained to him that she did not investigate Carr's death, and that she only secured the
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evidence found like he instructed. She brought to his attention that the 911 call came in on the
morning of Carr's death, and the officer on shift, Sgt. Edwards, should have written a report
based on his findings. According to Capt. Scott, Chief Taylor told her not to worry about Sgt.
Edwards and to write a miscellaneous report stating that Carr died of natural causes. Capt. Scott
stated she did not feel comfortable writing the report. Capt. Scott did provide a report stating,
"Per Chief Taylor, Amya Carr died of natural causes." Capt. Scott stated that she did not see an
autopsy report; therefore, she could not confirm Chief Taylor's statement to be true and wanted
to make sure it was noted that the findings stated in her report were the words of Chief Taylor.

On May 18, 2022, Capt. Scott received a call from SCSUPD Sgt. Brandon Moore. He asked
her if she wrote a report for Carr's death. Capt. Scott explained that she did provide a
miscellaneous report, but a formal written report should have been provided by Chief Taylor,
being that he responded to the hospital and received all photos from the search. Later that
evening, Capt. Scott received another call from Sgt. Moore. Chief Taylor was on the phone that
time, and according to Capt. Scott, he very rudely said, "Where's the weed?" and "I do not care
about the report." She explained to him that she placed the green leafy substance in the desk
drawer in the patrol office. Chief Taylor said to her, "So you just left it laying around?" She
then said she knew better than to leave evidence "laying around," and she had completed the
report as he asked. The phone call ended, and she has not had any contact with Chief Taylor
since. Agent's Note: Capt. Scott provided text messages between herself and Sgt. Moore
regarding the May 18, 2022 phone call (see Attachment 4).

On May 20, 2022, SCSUPD Sgt. Errol Brooks submitted a Supplemental Miscellaneous Report
for found evidence (Attachment 5). In the report, Sgt. Brooks stated that at approximately 6:39
p.m., he found evidence to include a digital scale, one backwoods cigar, and a clear plastic bag
containing less than one (1) gram of a green leafy substance, which appeared to be marijuana
residue. It was unknown at the time who left those items in the office without putting them into
the evidence room. Sgt. Brooks immediately contacted Chief Taylor about the incident before
properly sealing the evidence and placing it in the department's evidence room.
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On June 9, 2022, SIA Shider and Lt. Harley conducted an audio/video recorded interview with
Maria Medina, and a Memorandum of Interview (Attachment 6) was prepared. Medina was a
close friend of Carr. Medina provided the following information: On April 12, 2022, she
texted Carr between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to see if she wanted to hang out. Carr responded
to her message stating, "I would, but my asthma is acting up." At 7:00 p.m., Medina and Carr
decided to hang out in Carr's dormitory room located in Suites room on the campus
of SCSU to smoke marijuana. Carr was acting normal and feeling fine while they were
together. Carr was not in distress or complaining about her asthma while they were smoking.
She left Carr's dormitory room around 8:30 p.m. On April 13, 2022, she texted Carr around
3:00 a.m. to tell her to stay out of her dreams. Agent's Note: Medina stated she was asleep,
and Carr appeared in her dream. After she woke up, she texted Carr in a jokingly manner to
tell her to stay out ofher dreams. They had a short conversation through text messages. Carr
called Medina between the early morning hours of 4:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. saying she could not
breathe and asked her to take her to the hospital. She arrived at Carr's dormitory room within
minutes of the initial phone call and found Carr in the room alone, completely naked, and
struggling to breathe. The room was extremely hot, and her asthma machine was still running.
Medina said it was not normal for Carr to be naked. It was very odd to her.

Medina told Carr to let her wrap a blanket around her so she could take her downstairs. Carr
told her she needed to put on clothes, and Medina responded, "come on" and attempted to place
Carr on her back. Carr's limbs were locking up, and Medina said Carr was too heavy for her to
carry by herself. Carr then passed out. Medina ran out of the room into the hallway yelling for
help and knocking on other dormitory room doors. Some students from the SCSU ROTC
program heard her yelling and went to see what was happening. Medina wrapped Carr in a
blanket, and the ROTC students took her down to one of their vehicles. Agent's Note: Medina
was not able to provide all the names ofthe students from the ROTC program that helped her
carry and transport Carr to the hospital. She believed one ofthe students that helped was
named Paul Ravenel.

Medina called 911 and then hung up because EMS would take too long to arrive, so they
decided it would be quicker for them to take Carr to the hospital. The students transported Carr
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to TRMC in Orangeburg. Once they arrived at the hospital, staff took over the medical care of
Carr. Medina was not advised of anything from the doctors.

On May 30, 2022, Chief Taylor conducted an interview with Trevon Jenkins, and he obtained a
written statement (Attachment 7). Agent's Note: This interview was conducted after SLED's
assistance was requested and was completed without SLED's approval or knowledge. A copy
of the written statement was provided to SIA Shider. On September 9, 2022, SIA Shider
contacted Jenkins via telephone to confirm his written statement. Jenkins confirmed that he
provided a written statement to Chief Taylor on May 30, 2022. Jenkins was a student at SCSU
and a Cadet with the ROTC program. He provided the following information: At 5 :00 a.m., he
left Suites on the campus of SCSU for PT. As he was walking to his vehicle in the
parking lot, he heard someone yelling from the building. Two other students from the ROTC
program, Cadet Jordan Lee Ross and Cadet Cayin Bryant, went up to see what was happening.

A student nicknamed, "Yoshi" said had an asthma attack, and she was not
breathing. Agent's Note: Yoshi was identified as Maria Medina. Ross and Bryant brought Carr
downstairs, while he was attempting to call 911. Carr was fully nude but covered with a
blanket. Ross and Bryant placed Carr into Medina's vehicle, but she forgot her keys in Carr's
dormitory room. They placed Carr into Jenkins' vehicle instead, and he drove them to TRMC
in Orangeburg. Medina notified the hospital so they would be aware of them coming. When
they arrived at the hospital, the medical staff took Carr and Medina inside. Jenkins then went
back to campus. At 7:30 a.m., his roommate told him that Carr had passed away. Agent's Note:
Jenkins did not provide the name ofhis roommate who told him about the passing of Carr.

On May 27, 2022, Chief Taylor conducted an interview with Jordan Lee Ross, and he obtained
a written statement (Attachment 8). Agent's Note: This interview was conducted after SLED's
assistance was requested and was completed without SLED's approval or knowledge. A copy of
the written statement was provided to SIA Shider. On September 9, 2022, SIA Shider contacted
Ross via telephone to confirm his written statement. Ross confirmed that he did provide a
written statement to Chief Taylor on May 27, 2022. Ross was a student at SCSU and a Cadet
with the ROTC program. He provided the following information: He woke up for PT and as he
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was exiting his dormitory room, he heard someone asking for help. He asked Bryant to come
with him to see what was happening.

Once they both got to the room where the person was asking for help, they noticed a young
woman, identified as Carr, had passed out on the floor and not wearing any clothes. An
individual known as "Yoshi" (identified as Medina) put a blanket over Carr and then he
checked for a pulse, but he did not find one. Carr was breathing but it was very shallow. Ross,
Bryant, and Medina decided to carry Carr down the stairs and take her to the hospital. First,
they placed her in Medina's vehicle but realized she did not have her keys, so they moved Carr
to Jenkins' vehicle. Jenkins, Bryant, and Medina drove Carr to the hospital.

On May 26, 2022, Chief Taylor conducted an interview with Christian Smith and obtained a
written statement (Attachment 9). A copy of the written statement was provided to S/A Shider.
On September 9, 2022, S/A Shider conducted an audio recorded interview with Smith via
telephone to confirm his written statement. Smith confirmed that he did provide a written
statement to Chief Taylor on May 26, 2022. Smith was a student at SCSU and a Cadet with the
ROTC program. He provided the following information: After waking up for PT, Smith and
his roommates heard someone screaming outside and went downstairs to see what was
happening. Smith stated Cadets Ross and Bryant both carried Carr down the stairs, and he
helped them get Carr in the vehicle. Carr was nude with a blanket wrapped around her. Medina
did not have the keys to her car, so they had to place Carr in Jenkins' vehicle. He checked her
pulse and then Jenkins, Bryant, and Medina left to take Carr to the hospital. Smith and Ross
then went to PT.

On October 25, 2022, SIA Shider conducted an audio recorded interview with Cayin Bryant via
telephone and a Memorandum of Interview was prepared (Attachment 10). Bryant was a
student at SCSU and a Cadet with the ROTC program. He provided the following information:
He woke up around 5 :00 a.m. and went downstairs to the student parking lot with his
roommates to head to PT. He and two other Cadets identified as, Smith and Ross, heard
someone screaming in Suites. He and Ross went upstairs to see what was happening.
When they got upstairs to the dormitory room where they heard the screams, a young lady
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named "Yoshi," who was identified as Maria Medina, told them Carr, was having
an asthma attack and passed out. Carr was lying on the floor in the nude with a blanket
wrapped around her. He and Ross carried Carr downstairs and placed her in Medina's vehicle
first but realized Medina had locked her keys in Carr's dormitory room. They quickly moved
Carr over to Jenkins' vehicle, and Carr was transported to the hospital. Agent's Note: Agent
Shider spoke with Colonel Anthony Watson, the Commander over SCSU's ROTC Program.
Colonel Watson advised Agent Shider that his students have physical training every Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday at 5:30 a.m. It was verified that the ROTC students were heading to PT
the morning ofCarr's death.

On June 9, 2022, S/A Shider conducted an audio/video recorded interview with Valencia
Canzater at her residence, Eastover, SC (Attachment 11). Canzater is
the mother of Amya Carr. Canzater provided the following information: On April 12, 2022,
she spoke to Carr on the telephone earlier in the day. Carr told her that her asthma was acting
up. She told Carr to go to the hospital, but she refused. Carr was speaking weirdly on the
phone with her. Agent's Note: The time of the phone call between Canzater and Carr is
unknown. At 10:00 p.m., Carr re-posted a concerning Facebook status stating, "You did an
amazing job raising me mom. I love you." She tried calling Carr back around 1:00 a.m., but
she did not answer. Agent's Note: Carr's Facebook post was reviewed and confirmed by Agent
Shider. When Agent Shider went to retrieve a copy ofthe post there was a message stating,
'This content is not available right now". Between 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., Canzater was
awakened by a phone call from her son, Jermaine Canzater, who said that Carr was rushed to
TRMC in Orangeburg. She got dressed and arrived at the hospital shortly after. Canzater met
with Medina and discussed the events that took place leading to Carr being transported to the
hospital.

The ER nurse asked Canzater to go into one of the consultation rooms for privacy, and the
doctor would be in to speak with her in a few minutes. The doctor came inside the room and
delivered the unfortunate news to Canzater that her daughter had passed away. Canzater then
stated that Deputy Coroner Bartley told her an autopsy would be performed on Carr. She
received a call from TRMC approximately two weeks after the death of Carr regarding where
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Page 10 of 17

she wanted Carr's body to be released. She asked the nurse on the phone if an autopsy had been
performed. The nurse advised her that an autopsy had not been performed and if she wanted
one to be done, she would have to pay for a private autopsy on her own. Agent's Note:
Canzater did not provide the name of the nurse who called her about releasing Carr's body and
advised her of the autopsy not being performed. Canzater contacted Deputy Coroner Bartley
and asked him why an autopsy was not performed. According to Canzater, she was told one
was not performed because Canzater told him that Carr suffered from asthma. Canzater
believed someone harmed Carr.

On July 13, 2022, S/A Shider and S/A John Bassard interviewed Xaire McCarty at her
residence (Attachment 12). McCarty was Carr's roommate. She provided the following
information: On April 13, 2022, she heard Carr come in the dormitory room earlier in the day
but did not hear her leave after that other than going in and out her room within the dormitory.
McCarty left the dormitory around 2:00 a.m. that morning. She believed Carr was asleep
because she did not hear her voice anymore, just her television playing. She received a call
from "Yoshi" (identified as Medina) a few hours later asking her to move her car because it was
parked in the middle of the street. McCarty asked Medina what was going on and she replied
that "Maya is in the hospital." Medina did not state why Carr was in the hospital. Agent's
Note: McCarty advised Agent Shider that Yoshi called her about moving the vehicle because
SCSUPD called Yoshi, while at the hospital, and advise her if the vehicle was not moved it
would be towed.

McCarty went back to the dormitory room and all the lights were still on. There was also a
puddle of water on the floor next to her robe. She went to Carr's room and all her blankets and
pillows were on the floor. Carr's asthma machine was also still on. McCarty stated her room
door was also open, but she remembered closing it before she left. Later that morning, two
SCSUPD officers knocked on the door and began searching Carr's room. The officers asked
McCarty if she knew what was going on, and she told them that she did not. After the police
left, she got another phone call from Medina who asked McCarty to move her vehicle and that
Carr had passed away.
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On September 2, 2022, SIA Shider conducted an audio/video recorded telephone interview with
Orangeburg County Deputy Coroner Michael Bartley and a Memorandum ofInterview was
prepared (Attachment 13). Deputy Coroner Bartley provided the following information: He
was notified about the death of Carr on April 13, 2022, by the charge nurse at TRMC in
Orangeburg. When he arrived at the hospital, he spoke with the ER doctor. The doctor
informed him that Carr's lungs were filled with fluid, and they were unable to get an incubation
tube down her throat because she had aspirated. Agent's Note: Deputy Coroner Bartley did not
provide the name ofthe ER doctor. Deputy Coroner Bartley stated he then conducted an
external examination of Carr's body. He did not see any physical trauma to her body.
After completing the examination, he spoke with Carr's mother, Canzater. He explained to
Canzater that because Carr passed away within twenty-four hours of being in the ER that the
Coroner's Office would be investigating her death. Canzater then told him that Carr had an
extensive history of asthma since the age ofone and as she got older, she was prescribed a
nebulizer as a part of her treatment plan. After receiving the information from the ER doctor
and Carr's mother, Deputy Coroner Bartley stated he spoke with his supervisor, Chief Deputy
Coroner Shaun Fogle, and they made the decision that based on information received, there was
not enough probable cause to perform an autopsy at that point with it being such an invasive
process. However, they did collect blood and ocular fluid from Carr for toxicology testing.

According to Deputy Coroner Bartley, he did inform Canzater at the hospital that a toxicology
test would be completed and explained why the Coroner's Office would not perform an
autopsy. Canzater stated she understood and agreed with their decision. Later in July, Danny
Carr, the father of Amya Carr, contacted Deputy Coroner Bartley to get information about the
case. He explained to Danny Carr why an autopsy was not performed. Danny Carr was
receptive to the information and stated to him that Amya Carr had been smoking marijuana for a
long time, and he told her many times to stop.

On September 7, 2022, S/A Shider conducted an audio recorded telephone interview with
Danny Carr and a Memorandum oflnterview was prepared (Attachment 14). Danny Carr is
the father of Amya Carr. He provided the following information: Valencia Canzater, the
mother ofAmya Carr, called him around 6:00 a.m. on April 13, 2022, to inform him that Amya
File 31-22-0068 - Investigative Report
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Carr was rushed to the hospital and when she arrived, Amya Carr had already passed away.
Amya Carr has suffered from asthma her entire life and has passed out before in Florida due to
her asthma. When talking about Amya Carr, he described her as being passionate, loving, and
caring. He indicated that she did consume alcohol and smoked marijuana. He was always
asking her to stop. He did not know much about the events that took place before or after Amya
Carr's death because her mother was not communicating with him about most ofthe details. He
does not believe anyone harmed Amya Carr. He indicated that all the information from
Canzater about Amya Carr possibly being harmed is "a bunch of he-said, she-said from other
students."

On April 13, 2022, a coroner's report was prepared by Orangeburg County Deputy Coroner
Bartley (Attachment 15), and the following information was noted:
• Cause ofDeath: Pulmonary Arrest, pending toxicology.
Agent's Note: A manner of death was not listed because an autopsy was not performed.

On May 16, 2022, the SLED Toxicology Report was completed which showed 17 ng/mL units
ofTetrahydocannabinol (THC), 5.2 ng/mL units of 11-hydoxy-Tetrahydocannabinol (THC
metabolite), and 58 ng/mL units of 11 carboxy-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC metabolite) in
Carr's system (Attachment 16).

On July 13, 2022, S/A Shider obtained a search warrant for the cell phone records of Carr. As
of the date ofthis report, the information has not been provided by the SLED Computer Crimes
Unit. The information will be provided in an addendum report (Attachment 17).

On July 13, 2022, SIA Shider obtained a search warrant for the medical records ofCarr
(Attachment 18). Immediately after obtaining the warrant, S/A Shider obtained the medical
records ofCarr from TRMC records department. Dr. Charles Staples, MD. noted on pages 5
and 6 of the records, ''The patient had a severe aspiration event. She was intubated after
copious suctioning. It was very tight and difficult to bag suggesting that she was having severe
asthma exasperation prior to arrest" (Attachment 19).
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The following documents were obtained pursuant to this investigation:

• Death Certificate of Amya Carr (Attachment 20)
• SCSUPD Evidence Receipt (Attachment 21)

Conclusion
The following statements are based upon facts obtained during the investigation:
• On May 27, 2022, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) received a
written request from Chief Taylor to investigate the death of Amya Carr (Attachment 1).
• On April 13, 2022, Chief Taylor received a call from Dr. Tamara Jefferies-Jackson who
is the Vice President of Student Affairs at SCSU in reference to Carr having an asthma
attack and being transported to The Regional Medical Center (TRMC) in Orangeburg,
SC (Attachment 2).
• Chief Taylor responded to TRMC and was advised that Carr was deceased (Attachment
2).
• Chief Taylor spoke with the Emergency Room (ER) doctor who told him that Carr came
into the ER with a group of students while suffering an asthma attack. The doctor said
his team did everything to resuscitate her, but her lungs were filled with too much fluid
from the asthma attack (Attachment 2 & 19).
• SCSU dispatch received a call from Orangeburg County 911 in reference to a 911 hang
up call that originated on their campus. A student told the officer who responded to the
call location that she heard students yelling that someone could not breathe (Attachment
3).
• Captain (Capt.) Maurisha Scott stated she was instructed to search Carr's dormitory
room. She found a small bag of a green leafy substance in her desk drawer. She
furthered stated the bag was labeled and placed in the patrol office desk drawer and
pictures of the evidence was sent to Chief Taylor (Attachment 4).
• On May 20, 2022, Sergeant (Sgt.) Errol Brooks stated he found a scale, cigar, and a
small bag of a green leafy substance residue in the patrol office drawer and submitted
the evidence to the evidence room (Attachment 5).
• "Yoshi," identified as Maria Medina, stated she received a call from Carr asking her to
take her to hospital. Medina found Carr in distress suffering from an asthma attack in
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her dormitory room. Medina, with the assistance of three ROTC students, transported
Carr to TRMC (Attachment 6).
• Cadet Trevon Jenkins stated he left for physical training (PT) and heard someone yelling
for help. Two Cadets identified as Cadet Bryant and Cadet Ross went to help Carr.
Medina told them that had an asthma attack and was not breathing. They
carried Carr downstairs, wrapped in a blanket, and placed her in Jenkins' vehicle.
Jenkins and Medina transported Carr to TRMC (Attachment 7).
• Cadet Jordan Ross stated he left for PT and heard someone asking for help. He asked
Cadet Bryant to go with him to see what was happening. When they got to the room
where the yelling was coming from, they saw Carr passed out on the floor and naked.
They carried her downstairs in a blanket, and she was transported to the hospital
(Attachment 8).
• Cadet Christian Smith stated he and other Cadets left for PT and heard someone
screaming for help. Two cadets went upstairs to see what was happening. He said they
carried a girl down the stairs, and he helped them get her in the car to be transported to
the hospital (Attachment 9).
• Cadet Cayin Bryant stated he and his roommates, Cadet Ross and Smith, were leaving
for PT when they heard someone screaming in Suites. Cadet Bryant and Ross
went upstairs to see what was happening. Medina told them Carr, had an
asthma attack. Carr was lying on the floor naked with a blanket wrapped around her.
Bryant and Ross carried her downstairs and placed her in Jenkins' vehicle. Carr was
transported to TRMC (Attachment 10).
• Carr's mother, Valencia Canzater, stated on April 12, 2022, she received a call from
Carr saying her asthma was acting up. Carr refused to go to the hospital at that time. At
10:00 p.m., Canzater said Carr posted a status on Facebook stating, "You did an
amazing job raising me mom, I love you." On April 13, 2022, she received another call
from her son, Jermaine Canzater, who said that Carr had been taken to the hospital.
When she arrived at the hospital, the ER doctor advised her that Carr had passed away.
Canzater believed someone harmed Carr (Attachment 11).
• Carr's roommate, Xaire McCarty, stated she left the dormitory room around 2:00 a.m.,
on April 13, 2022, and believed Carr was asleep in her room. When she got back to the
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November 14, 2022
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room hours later, she found a puddle ofwater with Carr's robe on the floor, Carr's
asthma machine still running, and her pillows on the floor. She received a call from
Medina a few hours later informing her that Carr had passed away (Attachment 12).
• Orangeburg County Deputy Coroner Michael Bartley stated he was notified by TRMC
ER charge nurse about the passing of Carr. Once he was briefed by the ER doctor, he
conducted an external examination ofCarr's body and did not see any physical trauma.
After speaking with the ER doctor and Canzater, he spoke with his supervisor, Shaun
Fogle, and they made the decision not to perform an autopsy. However, they did collect
fluids from Carr for toxicology testing (Attachment 13).
• Carr's father, Danny Carr, stated that Amya Carr suffered from asthma her entire life
and has passed out before in Florida due to her asthma. He did not believe anyone
harmed Amya Carr (Attachment 14).
• On April 13, 2022, a Coroner's Report was prepared by Deputy Coroner Bartley. The
report ruled the Cause ofDeath to be Pulmonary Arrest (Attachment 15).
• On May 16, 2022, a SLED Toxicology Report was prepared. The report showed levels
ofTetrahydocannabinol (THC), 11-hydoxy-Tetrahydocannabinol (THC metabolite), and
11 carboxy-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC metabolite) in Carr's system (Attachment 16).
• On July 13, 2022, SIA Shider obtained a SLED Search Warrant for the medical records
ofCarr (Attachment 17).
• On July 13, 2022, SIA Shider obtained the medical records for Carr from TRMC. Dr.
Staples noted in the records that, "The patient had a severe aspiration event. She was
intubated after copious suctioning. It was very tight and difficult to bag suggesting that
she was having severe asthma exasperation prior to arrest (Attachment 18)."
• Due to SCSU's extensive forty-five-day delay in requesting SLED's assistance with this
case, we were unable to have SLED's Crime Scene Unit assist in processing the scene of
Carr's dormitory room, nor did SCSUPD document the scene or take photographs of
Carr's dormitory room.
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This report will be submitted to the proper prosecutorial authority for review.

S/A Shakera Shider

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November 14, 2022
Page 17 of 17

Attachments

1. SCSUPD Letter of Request

2. SCSUPD Incident Report
3. SCSUPD 911 Miscellaneous Sheet
4. Written Statement from Captain Maurisha Scott
5. SCSUPD Found Property Report
6. Memorandum of Interview with Maria Medina
7. Written Statement from Trevon Jenkins
8. Written Statement from Jordan Ross
9. Written Statement from Christian Smith
10. Memorandum of Interview with Cayin Bryant
11. Memorandum of Interview with Valencia Canzater
12. Written Statement from Xaire McCarty
13. Memorandum of Interview with Deputy Coroner Michael Bartley
14. Memorandum of Interview with Danny Carr
15. Orangeburg County Coroner's Report
16. SLED Toxicology Report
17. SLED Search Warrant for Cell Phone Records
18. SLED Search Warrant for Medical Records
19. The Regional Medical Center Medical Records of Amya Carr
20. Death Certificate of Amya Carr
21. SCSUPD Evidence Receipt

*The Agent's Case Management History is maintained in the case file.