Beaufort Co. man accused in the 1988 murder of a Michigan woman dies before extradition
A man being held in the Beaufort County Detention Center, who was awaiting extradition to be charged with open murder for allegedly killing a 19-year-old Michigan woman in 1988, died Saturday, the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office confirmed.
Robert Odell Waters, 53, of Beaufort, was arrested April 30 on a fugitive from justice charge, jail records show. On Saturday, he was found unresponsive in his cell during a “routine check” in what officials determined was a suicide, according to a news release sent that afternoon.
Later Saturday, the Three Rivers Police Department in St. Joseph County, Michigan, which was investigating the cold case, announced Waters’ death via its Facebook page.
“The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) was requested to conduct the in-custody death investigation,” the post read. “This is an ongoing investigation, and the Three Rivers Police Department is waiting for the results from the Coroner’s Office before making a statement to the media later this week.”
Chief R. Scott Boling of the department was not immediately available for comment.
Beaufort County Chief Deputy Coroner Debbie Youmans confirmed Waters’ death Sunday. Youmans said she could not provide any further information.
SLED investigating
Cathy Swartz, 19, was found murdered on Dec. 2, 1988, in her apartment. An autopsy determined she died from stab wounds and was beaten and strangled before her death, according to previous reporting from WSBT 22, a Michigan news station. Swartz was found by her boyfriend. Her 9-month-old daughter was in an upstairs bedroom and was not injured.
Over three decades later, in a May 1 news release, Three Rivers Police Department announced it had used forensic genetic genealogy on DNA found at the scene. From the DNA, police were able to narrow down suspects to a family they interviewed and fingerprinted, officials said in the release. Investigators identified Waters as a suspect and then traveled to South Carolina to interview him.
Waters turned himself in to police April 30, Chief Deputy Stephenie Price, a spokesperson for the Beaufort Police Department, previously told an Island Packet reporter.
Waters was awaiting extradition to Michigan, where he would have been charged with open murder, which permits a jury not only to decide whether the person is guilty or not but also to say which degree of murder the case involves.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division was contacted to open an investigation into Waters’ death, as is “common procedure” with inmate deaths, according to the Saturday release.
“The investigation is active and ongoing,” said Renée Wunderlich, SLED’s director of public information, on Sunday afternoon. “No other details are available at this time.”
An administrator with the detention center could not be immediately reached for comment.
The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette do not typically write about suicides or suicide attempts unless there is a compelling reason to do so, such as occurring in a public setting or involving a newsworthy subject.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat to do if someone you know exhibits any warning signs of suicide:
Do not leave the person alone. Stay with them or on the phone with them to keep them talking. Remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt. Call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or the S.C. Department of Mental Health’s 24/7 crisis response line at 833-364-2274. Bring the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.
This story was originally published May 7, 2023 at 2:28 PM.
