Coroner IDs 85-year-old woman found in submerged vehicle in retention pond

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The Dorchester County Coroner’s Office has identified the person who was found dead inside a vehicle submerged in a retention pond.

Doris T. Gallardo, 85, of Eutawville, was found in her vehicle in a pond near Ridgeville Friday morning, Coroner Paul J. Brouthers said.

Multiple agencies responded to the Walmart Distribution Center on Timothy Creek Road just before 7:30 a.m. First responders located the vehicle in the pond with Gallardo inside. She was pronounced dead at the scene by the coroner at 9:58 a.m.

Brouthers said an autopsy was conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina on Saturday. Officials determined the cause of death was an accidental drowning.

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