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

DORCHESTER COUNTY, SC (WCSC) – The Dorchester County Coroner’s Office has identified the person who was found dead inside a submerged vehicle 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.

Brothers said an autopsy was performed Saturday at the Medical University of South Carolina. Authorities determined the cause of death to be accidental drowning.

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