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The coroner has identified the infant victim.

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - A Ladson mother has been charged by the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office in connection to the May death of her child.

Charleston County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Lexi Douglas said Sara Shakeri-Taylor, 39, of Ladson, has been charged with homicide by child abuse.

The Charleston County Coroner has identified the infant as 10-month-old Aminah Gathers.

Deputies say this stems from a call for service that took place May 15 where they responded to a home on the 4400 block of Hardwood Street following reports of an unresponsive infant.

Shakeri-Taylor was home with the infant’s father, 41-year-old Sandy Sharron Gathers, who was previously arrested during this call. Douglas said at the time that a second person was also facing charges but that deputies would not be releasing that information.

At the scene, deputies began performing lifesaving measures until firefighters and EMS arrived. The infant was taken to Summerville Medical Center where she was later pronounced dead.

An autopsy revealed no obvious injuries or cause for the death of the baby, however, a toxicology exam showed the baby had a large amount of fentanyl in her system. Her death was ruled a fentanyl overdose.

Deputies collected evidence from the scene, ranging from baby bottles, formula and a pacifier to a dollar bill with a powdery substance. That evidence was collected and sent to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Affidavits said all items tested positive for fentanyl.

“As a parent, it shakes me to my core to see people be so careless and negligent with their children. This mother made a terrible decision, and she is where she belongs,” Sheriff Kristin Graziano said. “The people of Charleston County should be advised that my deputies work hard to get people like this off the street.”

“Aminah’s death was preventable. She is the victim of a failed system, a fentanyl epidemic and unimaginable neglect by those who were responsible for her care. Aminah will not be forgotten as we seek justice for her and do all we can to prevent this from happening to other children in our community,” Coroner Bobbi Jo O’Neal said.

Shakeri-Taylor has also been charged with three counts of conspiracy, three counts of animal fighting or baiting and one count of ill-treatment of animals, charges which are similar to Gathers’ charges.

Affidavits further detail the incident as it occurred that day, with detectives stating that, when they arrived at the scene, Gathers advised that he had come home from work and found Shakeri-Taylor sleeping and the infant laying on her stomach at the foot of the bed, unresponsive.

As detectives were investigating this death, they say they found evidence of dogfighting, including tethered and caged pitbulls and pictures and video evidence of the crimes, leading to the additional charges.

The couple was allegedly running their dogfighting operation under the guise of an unlicensed “kennel.”

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

If you're a thrifty, bargain basement shopping, treasure-seeking adventurer, then this is the one flea market in South Carolina you simply can't afford to miss. With more than 1,000 vendor booths, it's one of the largest indoor/outdoor flea markets in the entire Southeast. It's difficult to see and appreciate everything in just one visit, but we believe in you! Check out Coastal Carolina Flea Market below.

The Coastal Carolina Flea Market has been around for 35 years and has grown to be so big, you could probably spend an entire weekend combing through everything there is to discover at this gigantic bargain bin of vendors.

There's a reason this flea market is such a longstanding tradition. It's fun for the whole family with all kinds of shops, food vendors, and excitement along the way.

You'll find everything from fresh produce and fresh seafood to canned goodies you can put in the pantry for a rainy day.

For adult shoppers, there are 18+ and 21+ shops to enjoy as well. Purchase responsibly!

With more than 1,000 vendors covering 47 acres, the Coastal Carolina Flea Market has vendor booths in every direction you look, both inside and outside. And if you get hungry, there are two restaurants that dish up the best Flea Market Fare in the Southeast.

The toughest part about visiting this flea market is not getting lost! You'll want to keep a map handy while you make your way around this massive market.

Whatever you desire, you'll likely find it here at the flea market. Want a new hat? No problem. Want a ladies' hat? No problem.

Beautifully crafted leather shoes, collectible memorabilia, jewelry, toys, antiques, and so much more can be found here.

Need to buy a gift? You'll find both new and used items and something that's sure to delight that hard-to-please someone on your list.

The people are just as interesting as the wares. You meet all kinds while perusing the aisles of this market.

The complex that houses the indoor vendors is simply enormous. It could take days to get through the whole thing if you're a super-engaged shopper.

The proverbial "cup" runneth over at this flea market. But when the cup gets full, the vendors just set up outside. They're everywhere and selling everything.

You'll even find artisans and craftsmen doing their "thang" at this unique market.

It's wonderful to hear the stories behind these unique businesses and pieces.

Where is it? It's in Ladson, just off Interstate 26 and far enough outside of Charleston that you won't have to worry about getting caught in a traffic snarl. Want to see more? Check out this seven-minute video from YouTube user thesitecrew.com:

You may want to clear your schedule this weekend and head to this one-of-a-kind market that's the biggest in the Southeast. The Coastal Carolina Flea Market is located at 165 Market Rd, Ladson, SC 29456. More information is available on the flea market's Facebook page. The market is only open on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Are you a flea market afficiando? What's your proudest score from a flea market vendor? We'd love to know in our comments! And if you've been to the Coastal Carolina Flea Market and want to pass along some tips, then feel free to add those too!

If you love bargain hunting, then you'll love this list of thrift stores throughout South Carolina.

LADSON, S.C. (WCSC) - Neighbors in a Ladson neighborhood spent much of Tuesday trimming trees, gathering debris and checking on their neighbors after a confirmed downburst went through the area.

Ken Atwell came over to the Tall Pines neighborhood where his mother lives when he heard about the storm.

“You could hear it and see it coming in, and you knew it was something pretty strong coming in, but I wasn’t expecting this,” Atwell says.

Most of the trees in the home’s backyard fell victim to the wind.

“We were talking with the gentleman behind us last night because the fence is gone, so it makes it real easy. And then we kind of talked to people next door with most of our trees through their roof, so we kind of talked to them a little bit, just everyone coming together to get things cleaned up,” Atwell says.

Dillon Neault is a renter who has lived in the area for about four years. He says he was sitting at a table in his backyard when the sky turned dark, and the hail began to rain down.

“I went inside and checked on the dog and my fiancé and then all the hail came and all this came down in my yard,” Neault says gesturing toward his backyard covered in downed branches.

As a renter, Neault says he isn’t taking the lead on the cleanup, but he spent the morning getting to know his neighbors and asking people if they needed a hand.

“It’s all about checking on everyone making sure they’re OK. It’s been a lot of good community stuff with people I’ve never met before. I kind of keep to myself but everyone is asking how are you doing, how you fared, which is nice,” Neault says.

Across the street, Atwell and his family spent the morning clearing out brush while waiting on professionals to come and saw down the uprooted and downed trees.

David Zeigler is a general manager at Landmark Roofing Charleston. He says hail can cause damage that might not be as visible right away as downed trees.

“The Lowcountry doesn’t experience a lot of the hail that the other parts of the country have, but when they do, they wreak havoc on your roof. From talking to the neighbors around here, they had about 10 minutes of solid hail and it ranged from about pea sized to golf ball size,” Zeigler says.

He recommends anyone affected by the storm at least get their roof assessed for hail damage. The storm took many by surprise. Neighbors described it as quick and strong. The damage cleanup will be easier for some with minor debris and major for others with structural impacts.

“I’ve lived through five, six hurricanes here and nothing has ever happened. Just carnage,” Neault says.

Teams from the National Weather Service surveyed the damage primarily Tuesday around the Summerville and Ladson areas of Berkeley and Dorchester Counties.

Before arriving at the scene, NWS experts said all that they have seen so far indicated a strong downburst producing straight-line wind damage rather than a tornado.

Downbursts produce straight-line winds that have been known to produce tornado-force damage up to F3 intensity, the National Weather Service’s website states.

National Weather Service teams confirmed Tuesday afternoon a strong downburst caused the damage. Peak winds of the downburst reached 80 to 85 mph.

Live 5 First Alert Chief Meteorologist described a downburst as being caused by warm rising into the atmosphere, getting cooled quickly with evaporative cooling that causes it to rush back down and spread out when it hits the ground.

“That is like taking a bucket of water, pouring it out on the floor and all the water spreads out,” he said. “Imagine wind hitting the ground and spreading out at 80 to 85 mph. That’s what we had with that storm.”

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.