Blue Light Special |

Woman Accused of Terrible Crime

It is with great sadness that we report that the body of 5-month-old “Baby Grace” was found the afternoon of Nov. 5 near Shem Creek Circle, following a nearly three-day search through woods and murky waters. Authorities said her mother could and most definitely WILL face more serious charges, because you don’t just murder a baby. You don’t do that.

Divers discovered the body of Grace Carlson Santa Cruz at about 3:45 p.m. Thursday, police said. The baby was found close to the home on Shem Creek Circle where her mother, Sarah Lane Toney, entered the water after taking the infant into the water for reasons still unknown, authorities said last weekend.

I know the reasons. She must be fucking stupid and has no soul.

Toney, 33, already charged with unlawful neglect of a child (at which point the child should have been taken from her already, but as you know we live in America, the land of second and third and fourth and fifth and sixth and seventh chances when it comes to such crimes) was also charged with murder of her daughter.

Just a suggestion, but beheadings have always been popular, especially in the medieval time period. When’s the last time we burned someone at the stake? It’s been too long. What about boiling someone in oil? Economical.

Earlier Nov. 5, an Horry County judge denied bond for Toney in a hearing at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center, because, well, see above, clearly.

Speaking in a calm voice and showing little emotion Toney gave Judge Aaron Butler her account: “I went into the water with her and was unable to hold on to her. I didn’t intentionally put her in any danger. I was going with her and I wasn’t able to hold on to her when the water sucked me in.”

Bullshit. As a mother, you DO NOT just take your infant child into the water, and if for some batshit crazy reason you do, you NEVER reach a point in which you are unable to hold on to her. As a mother, you fight and die for that child. Unable is not in your lexicon of vocabulary when regarding your child. Additionally, you DID put her in danger when you decided to wade into the water for no sensible reason.

Scott Hixson, deputy solicitor with the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, asked that bond be denied for Toney because she has failure to appear changes in her past, along with other charges, including domestic violence, and was currently on probation in connection with a drug charge stemming from an incident in March.

TRANSLATION: SHE IS A BAD PERSON.

Hixson also said he thought Toney was a flight risk due to the potential ramifications of the search and possible other charges that may come from it.

Hixson said witnesses indicated they saw Toney with a child in her arms walking toward a watery area near her residence on Tuesday before the search began.

Toney did not explain the circumstances that led her to the water that day. Because there is no answer. Sometimes people are mentally ill, and other times they are just plain evil. Ms. Toney falls into one of these two categories. It doesn’t matter which; there is no answer that will ever give any of us any peace.

Toney told the judge she wants to be with her 9-year-old daughter who lives with her. Hixson pointed out that ABSOLUTELY NOT because not only do prosecutors believe she is responsible for the death of her infant child, but she doesn’t have custody of her 9-year-old and that there are domestic orders in place that do not allow her custody.

That child was placed with her biological father after the incident, authorities said.

Judge Butler set Toney’s preliminary hearing for Dec. 11 at the close of proceedings, and she will remain at J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

Records with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division show Toney has been charged in the past with offenses involving drugs, theft and domestic violence. #Winning

Toney was arrested last year in connection with possessing less than a gram of cocaine/methamphetamine, shoplifting, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, and attempting to furnish a prisoner with contraband, records show. #RoleModel

She was also arrested by the South Carolina Highway Patrol in connection with driving under the influence and other similar charges numerous times and has passed through Conway Municipal Court on charges including, resisting arrest, public intoxication, trespassing and receiving stolen property, according to arrest records. #PleaseAdoptMe

The discovery of the child climaxed a search that began about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday when officers were called by a resident of Shem Creek Circle in Socastee. The resident told officers she found Toney, drenched and sitting on her porch, saying she put her baby in the creek. Officers later said Toney had gone to the rushing creek after an incident at a nearby residence on Simms Drive, but they have not provided details about that incident.

Toney was found at the residence on Simms Drive after the incident and was immediately taken into police custody as the search began. She was also held on an outstanding warrant unrelated to the case before she was charged with unlawful neglect, police said.

Steady rain on Tuesday made conditions along the heavily wooded search area difficult for workers, but the weather was milder Wednesday and Thursday.

Searchers scoured the water and nearby woods. Divers felt the bottom of the murky creek, which was roughly 6 to 8 feet deep. Coastal Carolina University used sonar equipment to scan the waterway bottoms.

The search expanded Thursday when more Horry County Fire Rescue workers joined the search along with the U.S. Coast Guard, Horry County police spokesman Lt. Raul Denis said.

Officials had planned for a helicopter from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to join the effort Thursday, but foggy conditions prevented it from flying, Denis said.

Finders Keepers

Georgetown County police are investigating a body found in a wooded area off Pennyroyal Road Wednesday afternoon.

So if you have lost or misplaced a body, chances are...this is probably it.

Officers responded around 4 p.m. to Mauresina Road off of Pennyroyal Road, south of Georgetown, to the report of a body in a wooded area. Officers found one body, but the identity of the person is still unknown, Carrie Cuthbertson, Georgetown County police spokeswoman, said.

He might have a mustache, and may look like a “Chad,” but again, this is all mere speculation. It’s too early to tell at this point. Maybe a “Bobby.”

This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 11:23 AM with the headline "Blue Light Special |."