Woman found dead on Jasper highway known as a fierce protector. Investigation ongoing
The cause of death of the woman who appeared to have been the victim of a hit-and-run on a Jasper County road on Saturday morning has yet to be confirmed, according to South Carolina Highway Patrol spokesperson Nick Pye.
The woman’s family wants answers.
Markeshia DuPont, 27, of Ridgeland, was found at approximately 6 a.m. on S.C. 336 near the Tilman-Wagon Branch Community Center, according to Jasper County Coroner Willie Aiken Jr. She died of her injuries at the scene, according to a post on the Jasper County Coroner’s Office Facebook page.
DuPont is remembered by loved ones as being a fierce protector, a hard worker and a great dancer.
Her second cousin, Thaddeus Smith, grew up two doors down from her and her family, and the two were born less than six months apart.
“We grew up as more brother and sister than cousins because of our closeness in age,” Smith said.
DuPont was an excellent athlete, according to Smith, and was on the track and volleyball teams in high school. DuPont was also in the flag corps for her school’s marching band during her freshman year.
“Markeshia was always a fast runner, very fast,” Smith said. “If we wanted to run from my parents, they would always send Markeshia to come get us.”
What Thaddeus Smith said he would remember most is her smile and her love of dancing.
“Markeshia didn’t miss a step. She knew all the latest dances,” Smith said. “To know Markeshia was to love Markeshia.”
As the oldest of her mother’s five children, DuPont took on the role as a protector for her family.
“They loved her beyond measure, especially her two younger brothers,” Smith said. “They idolized their sister. She was their role model and such a hard worker.”
DuPont’s protectiveness didn’t just apply to her siblings, according to Smith. He remembered how he and his cousins were bullied riding the bus home from school, and DuPont was always the first to stand up to stop it.
“She believed in always looking out for people in her community,” Smith said. “She always felt that she would not let anyone bother her family members and whatnot.”
In true character, DuPont met her girlfriend of 10 years, Shana Smith, of no relation to Thaddeus Smith, while standing up for a child in her neighborhood, Smith said.
In 2011, children were playing on a trampoline in Smith’s yard when a disagreement broke out.
“We were arguing neighbors,” Smith said. “She started yelling at me, and I started yelling at her across the yard.”
From there, the two formed an inseparable bond. Smith says DuPont helped raise her three children, Adriana Campos and Jared and Michael Rodriguez.
“It doesn’t matter where we go, or who we’re around, she just knows how to uplift me,” Smith said. “She was the life of the party for everything.”
DuPont’s personality and friendly nature inspired Smith to break out of her shell and try something new every day, she said. Their biggest goal was to get a house together, and they did, according to Smith.
“We just got our house and that was supposed to be the first night we slept at that house,” Smith said. “And she didn’t even get to sleep her first night in there.”
As DuPont’s family and friends prepare to celebrate her life, they want answers about what happened to her.
“She didn’t deserve the way she passed,” her cousin Thaddeus Smith said. “I honestly do believe that the people who hit Markeshia knew they hit her, and they should have stopped. She didn’t deserve to die the way she did.”
DuPont’s death had not been classified as either a homicide or a hit-and-run, Pye said.
As of Tuesday morning, a report had not been filed.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol and the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office are investigating.
This story was originally published August 3, 2021 at 3:21 PM.
