A Richland County, South Carolina, investigation has ended with two arrests after the death of a 4-year-old boy. Zokeiyah McCray, 36, and Helen Benbow, 59, were taken into custody Friday and charged with homicide by child abuse in the death of Kameron Howell, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. The two women had served as the child’s legal guardians and caretakers since May 2026 and shared an apartment with him. McCray was Kameron’s godmother, and Benbow is McCray’s mother.
Deputies responded Friday morning to a hospital where Kameron was pronounced dead. Medical staff told investigators the child had lacerations across his body, multiple head injuries that caused internal bleeding, and burn marks that deputies said appeared consistent with contact from a lit smoking material. Both women were booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
The case remains active, and charges can evolve as it moves through the legal system. For families here on the Suncoast, stories like this one raise a difficult but important question about how we look out for the children in our own communities. Florida’s Abuse Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-96-ABUSE, and reports can be made anonymously.
What would you want a neighbor to do if they were worried about a child? Let us know in the comments.
