Local

GoFundMe set up for 1-year-old who drowned in Conway pond during family vacation

By Chase Karacostas and Gerard Albert
Gianna Dawkins, a one-year-old who drowned in Conway over Memorial Day weekend.
Gianna Dawkins, a one-year-old who drowned in Conway over Memorial Day weekend.
Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The family of a one year old girl who drowned in a Conway pond is raising money for her funeral.

Around 6:30 p.m. on May 29 Gianna Dawkins, who was about to turn two, was found in a pond near Cheyenne Road in Conway, according to the Horry County coroner.

Dawkins was with her family who were visiting from Fayetteville, North Carolina, when she wondered off and fell into a pond, her family told a North Carolina media outlet.

She was pronounced dead from asphyxiation due to drowning at the scene.

Family members set up a GoFundMe page for donations for the girl’s funeral. They are trying to raise $3,000 before June 2.

Horry County police are investigating her death.

This story was originally published May 31, 2021 at 6:56 PM.

Profile Image of Chase Karacostas
Chase Karacostas
The Sun News
Chase Karacostas writes about tourism in Myrtle Beach and across South Carolina for McClatchy. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2020 with degrees in Journalism and Political Communication. He began working for McClatchy in 2020 after growing up in Texas, where he has bylines in three of the state’s largest print media outlets as well as the Texas Tribune covering state politics, the environment, housing and the LGBTQ+ community.
Profile Image of Gerard Albert III
Gerard Albert III
The Sun News
305-469-2219
Gerard Albert III writes about crime, courts and police for The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Albert was editor-in-chief at Florida International University’s student newspaper. He also covered Miami-Dade and Broward County for WLRN, South Florida’s NPR station.He is an award-winning journalist who has reported throughout South Florida and New York City. Hablo espanol.
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER