SLED cites missteps in death investigation of SC State student by campus police, mother responds

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WIS) - South Carolina State University is facing backlash from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division after a student died last year.

Student Amya Carr reportedly died of natural causes in the early morning of April 13, 2022, after suffering an asthma attack in her dorm room.

But a newly released SLED report says the school’s investigation is marred by missteps and delays.

Carr was a student at SC State and the co-captain of the school’s dance team.

“I don’t know what killed my baby. She’s dead, and I don’t know what killed her,” said Valencia Cantazer, mother of Amya Carr.

Investigators say she had an asthma attack on campus last April and a group of students took her to the hospital where she later died.

Amya’s mother Valencia Cantazer says today was the first time she heard about the report.

She says after WIS told her what was on the report she still believes that her daughter’s death was not the result of an asthma attack.

“If I could do anything to have her back, I would. I beat myself up constantly because I wasn’t there.”

Valencia Cantazer spoke those words as she stared at a picture of Amya on her living room wall.

Her living room is now a memorial dedicated to her daughter and her accomplishments.

“I miss her daily and every picture in here, I’m not taking it down. I’m not taking it down. She’s my guardian angel,” said Cantazer, while tearing up.

Cantazer says she’s still without peace as the one-year anniversary of her daughter’s death approaches.

Amya’s mother believes it’s more to the story because she says her daughter’s asthma had improved.

She said, “I thought at one point she had grown out of her asthma because she wasn’t using her machine, she wasn’t using her inhaler. She was even seeing a Pulmonologist- an asthma specialist who stopped seeing her because her asthma was improving.”

While Amya’s mother still questions the details surrounding her daughter’s death; a report from SLED is knocking SC State’s campus police department for its handling of the investigation.

According to their report released on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, campus police waited six weeks to notify SLED of Amya’s death.

State law requires all campus deaths to be reported to SLED immediately.

SLED officials say because of the delay, their crime scene unit was not able to process Amya’s dorm where the asthma attack reportedly happened.

Aside from that SLED mentions that campus police searched her dorm without taking any photos.

SLED’s report notes S.C. State University’s former police captain collected a bag of marijuana from Amya’s room and kept it in a drawer because she said she did not have access to the department’s evidence lockers or an evidence bag.

“I still say if Orangeburg County police would’ve gotten this the day she died, the investigation would have been better and clearer, said Canzater. “I would’ve gotten an understanding of what killed my baby. If you would’ve properly had it investigated and if you would’ve done an autopsy,” she added.

University police officers initially told the state agency the wrong date of Carr’s death, according to the report. It also details an argument between Scott and the campus police chief about who would write the report on Carr’s death and described how Scott said she felt uncomfortable reporting Carr died of natural causes based on the evidence she collected.

Amya’s mother is still unsettled about no autopsy being performed on her body.

So, she’s paying for a private autopsy to be conducted.

She says a pathologist told her despite Amya being dead for almost a year now, they will still be able to determine whether or not she died from asthma.

WIS did reach out to SC State officials for a response.

School officials told WIS they are working on a statement and will release it once it is available.

According to SLED’s report, an autopsy was not done because it was determined she died of natural causes.

A coroner was at the hospital and noted there were no markings on the body indicating any foul play.

clarification: An initial version of this story said, "Officials did say they dispute SLED’s report". However, South Carolina State officials say they only have questions about one element of the report and do not dispute SLED's report overall.

SLED report of investigation:

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