The South Carolina Coroners Association is pleased to announce the winners for the 2026 SCCA Awards. These awards recognize outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of death investigation in South Carolina. We want to congratulate the following winners:

 

Coroner of the Year:

Coroner Darnell Hartwell

Berkeley County 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Deputy Coroner of the Year (Lowcountry):
Chris Burgess

Dorchester County

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Sue Townsend Award:

Coroner Todd Hardee

Darlington County

 

 

 

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Rising Star Award:

April Overby, Lowcountry Region

Berkeley County

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Hidden Hero Award:

Coroner Shawn Hanks

Bamberg County

 

 

 

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We want to thank all the nominees  and winners for their hard work and dedication to the field of death investigation in South Carolina. The winners were announced at the 2026 SCCA Annual Conference from June 15-18 at the Myrtle Beach Kingston Resorts @ Embassy Suites.

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A special thank you to the 2026 SCCA Awards Committee Members for their hard work and dedication. The committee members include Karla Deese (Committee Chair), Coroner Renique Riley-Spiller, Ashleigh Jordan, Crystal Prochaska, Jolene Clinton, Chris Hill, John Collins, Ronnie Steele, Coroner Andrew Wilson, Coroner De'Aron Smith, Dr. Keene Garvin, Dr. Joel Sexton, Kris Elliott, Rachel Michalski and Tommy Page.

 

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Once again, congratulations to all the nominees, and thank you for your commitment to excellence in death investigations in South Carolina.