On May 19, 2025, deputies responded to a reported shooting at about 2:24 a.m. in a home on Whaley Street in Warrenville, South Carolina. Inside the residence, 53-year-old Cherie Hewitt was found unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the scene less than an hour later. The Aiken County Coroner confirmed a single gunshot wound to her head and ruled the death a homicide.

Hewitt was known locally as the first USDA-certified organic farmer in the Southeast, a mentor to new farmers, and later a remote worker and caregiver who obtained emergency custody of her grandson in 2021. Family and friends remember her as bright, adventurous, compassionate, and fiercely loyal.

The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office and the Coroner’s Office are handling the active investigation; no suspects have been publicly identified and no arrests have been announced. If anyone knew Cherie, was in the Warrenville area that night, or has information that could help, please share what is known with investigators.