In the small community of Windsor, South Carolina, a tragic incident cut short the life of 10-year-old Miyah Noel Harp. On the night of Monday, November 18, 2024, authorities were called to a home on Wendy Lane. Upon their arrival, deputies discovered young Miyah with a gunshot wound to her chest. Emergency medical personnel rendered aid, but sadly, Miyah was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:13 p.m.
Preliminary investigations by the Aiken County Sheriff's Office and the coroner's
office suggested that the shooting was accidental. It is believed that a family member was handling a small-caliber rifle when it unintentionally discharged, striking the fourth-grade student from Oakwood Windsor Elementary School. An autopsy was scheduled to be performed to confirm the cause of death. The name of the family member who was holding the rifle has not been publicly released.
In the course of the investigation into Miyah's death, a subsequent arrest was made. Miyah's 32-year-old mother, Amalia Nicole Beltran, was taken into custody on charges of meth trafficking. Investigators discovered a significant quantity of methamphetamine while at the residence. Officials have clarified that Beltran was not the individual handling the firearm at the time of the fatal incident. At the time of this event, Beltran had a pending legal case for meth distribution and possession of controlled substances from an arrest earlier in the year.
