Cause of death for ‘Baby Grace’ released by coroner

Drowning is the official cause of death for a 5-month-old infant who was allegedly lost in the rushing waters of a flooded Socastee creek by her mother in November.

Grace Carlson Santa Cruz, who came to be known by the community as “Baby Grace,” drowned Nov. 3 after being taken into the Socastee creek by her mother Sarah Toney, who is charged with homicide by child abuse in connection with the baby’s death.

An autopsy performed Nov. 6 at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston revealed the manner of death was homicide, but the exact cause was yet to be determined until it was released Thursday, according to Darris Fowler, Horry County deputy coroner.

Horry County police began searching for the missing baby at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 3 after officers were called by a resident of Shem Creek Circle in Socastee who said Toney showed up at the resident’s home drenched and saying she put her baby in the creek, authorities said.

Following a nearly three-day search, “Baby Grace” was found submerged in the creek by rescue divers about 50 yards from where her mother entered the water on Simms Drive in Socastee.

During a Nov. 5 bond hearing, Toney calmly told an Horry County Magistrate court judge she couldn’t hold on to her child in the rushing water. Her bond on the homicide charge was denied, and Toney remains jailed at J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

“Baby Grace” was laid to rest Nov. 18 at Hillcrest Cemetery on S.C. 544 in Conway. Her burial service was led by Horry County Police Chaplain Dennis Williams and attended by police, Horry County coroners, other searchers and some of the baby’s relatives, including Baby Grace’s father Patrick Olberg, Horry County Coroner Robert Edge said.

A temporary grave marker was placed for her, but officials said it won’t last in the elements. Money for a permanent headstone was raised through community donations, and the grave marker has been shipped and should arrive for placement soon, officials said.

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 12:44 PM with the headline "Cause of death for ‘Baby Grace’ released by coroner."