Beaufort Co. man faces manslaughter charge weeks after body found in yard, police say
A Seabrook man faces a manslaughter charge in the death of a 55-year-old whose body was found outside a home in March, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Trayvis Jenkins, 33, was charged Tuesday with involuntary manslaughter, according to the Beaufort County Detention Center’s jail log. Involuntary manslaughter is a felony defined as the “reckless disregard of the safety of others,” according to the S.C. Code of Laws. If convicted, Jenkins could face up to five years in prison.
On March 5, Police responded to a home on Franklin Drive in Burton after getting a call about an “unresponsive man” in a yard, a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office alert said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene and identified as Steven Whitlock, 55, of Burton, by the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office. At the time, police were unsure of Whitlock’s cause of death but concluded that it was “suspicious” and believed it to be a homicide, the alert said.
Beaufort County Coroner David Ott declined a request to comment because it “could jeopardize the investigation of law enforcement.”
The type of wounds on Whitlock are “still being evaluated by pathologists,” according to Maj. Bob Bromage with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation is still ongoing, according to Bromage.
“Up to this point in the investigation, his [ Jenkins’ ] involvement meets the threshold of probable cause for the charge of involuntary manslaughter in Whitlock’s death,” Bromage said. “Specific details regarding his role may have an impact on future interviews in this active investigation.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, Jenkins remained in custody at the detention center.
Anyone with information may call Crime Stoppers of the Lowcountry at (843)554-1111 or Sgt. David Tafoya with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office at (843)255-3430.
