Michael Calvin Keeler, Jr., was 34 when he died of a gunshot wound on the evening of Wednesday, April 5, 2023, while turkey hunting with another person in the Cliff Pitts Wildlife Management Area in Laurens County. First responders found him on game management land off Highway 252 and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Laurens County Coroner’s Office confirmed the cause of death and an autopsy was scheduled in Greenville.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources opened an investigation and has characterized the incident as a hunting accident, but officials have not released details about how the shooting occurred or identified any suspects or arrests. The investigation remains active as authorities work to determine the precise sequence of events.

If anyone was in the Cliff Pitts Wildlife Management Area on April 5, 2023, or knows anything about that evening’s hunting activity, please share information with Laurens County authorities.