In the quiet community of Six-mile, South Carolina, the life of 31-year-old Dustin Lee Smith of Seneca was tragically cut short on November 1, 2020. His body was discovered by a passing motorist on the shoulder of Ponderosa Drive near Ponderosa Park. Initially deemed a suspicious death by the responding Pickens County Sheriff's deputies, the case was soon ruled a homicide by the Pickens County Coroner's Office.
An autopsy later confirmed that Smith had been fatally shot.
The investigation into Smith's death quickly led authorities to a suspect, 29-year-old David Michael Watkins. According to Smith's wife, her husband had given Watkins, an acquaintance from their school days, a ride. Investigators tracked Watkins to Johnson County, Tennessee, where he was taken into custody without incident. Following his arrest, Watkins was extradited back to South Carolina to face charges.
David Michael Watkins was charged with the murder of Dustin Lee Smith, as well as possession of a weapon during a violent crime and grand larceny. As the legal proceedings began, the Pickens County Sheriff's Office continued to investigate to determine if any other individuals were involved in the events leading up to or following Smith's death. The family of Dustin Lee Smith, who was a father to six children, was left to grapple with the sudden and senseless loss of their loved one.
