In the late summer of 2022, the quiet community of Carolina Forest, near Conway, South Carolina, was shaken by a devastating loss. On August 31, 11-year-old Eric William Moberley, a male, was found deceased in his home. Eric, who was born on September 18, 2010, in Lexington, Kentucky, was a seventh-grade student at Ten Oaks Middle School. He was known for his kind and sweet nature, always wearing a smile that would be greatly missed.
Eric was a creative boy with a passion for building
new things out of paper and a love for math and science. He enjoyed working on and racing remote-control cars with his father, William Moberley. His interests also included soccer, cooking for his family, and caring for his beloved pets: a cat named Callie and two leopard geckos, Spotty and Goldie. His life, full of youthful curiosity and joy, was tragically cut short alongside his 8-year-old sister, Emily.
The heartbreaking discovery was made when police conducted a welfare check at the family's home on Centennial Circle. Inside, they found the bodies of Eric, his sister Emily, and their 42-year-old mother, Laura Moberley. All three had died from gunshot wounds. The Horry County Coroner's Office later officially ruled the deaths a murder-suicide.
Investigations revealed that Laura Moberley had shot both of her children before taking her own life. It came to light that the family had been under significant strain. Laura and William Moberley were engaged in a custody dispute over their children, which had begun in June of that year. The day before the tragic event, Laura had been in a court hearing where she was informed she would no longer be the primary custodial parent. This, combined with financial pressures, is believed to have contributed to the devastating outcome. Laura was a reading specialist at Carolina Forest Elementary School, where her daughter Emily was a third-grade student. The incident left the community, particularly the local school district, in deep mourning for the two young lives lost and their mother. The case was closed without any arrests or outside suspects, as the perpetrator was among the deceased.
