On the evening of July 26, 2021, deputies were called to a home on Quiet Acres Road in Lancaster, South Carolina after reports of gunfire. Inside the residence they found 44-year-old Veronica McIlwain in the living room with apparent gunshot wounds; paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

Investigators identified a 14-year-old male known to McIlwain as the alleged shooter. He was not at the house when deputies arrived but was taken into custody shortly afterward. Deputies recovered a 9mm pistol from a trash can at a nearby convenience store that they believe was the weapon used. The teenager was charged with murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, and unlawful possession of a pistol by someone under 18, and was held at the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia with the case placed in Lancaster County Family Court.

The motive has not been disclosed. Did anyone in the Lancaster area know Veronica or have information about her relationships that could help explain what happened?