A 31-year-old woman who recently gave birth was found dead early Wednesday in a shopping-center parking lot after being run over and dragged by a vehicle, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies were called to 369 Whitney Road about 3:23 a.m., and the coroner pronounced the woman dead minutes later at 3:35 a.m.
Authorities identified the victim as Dane Josephine Waddell of Spartanburg. Family members told officials she welcomed a baby girl in October 2025. The sheriff’s office said the case is being investigated as a fatal hit-and-run, with detectives reviewing surveillance footage that captured the vehicle involved. As of Friday, no arrests had been announced and the vehicle had not been located. The incident has drawn cooperation between sheriff’s investigators, the county coroner and state highway authorities while they reconstruct the path of the vehicle and seek additional witnesses from nearby homes and businesses along Whitney Road.
Deputies arrived after a 911 call reported a person down in the lot, which serves several storefronts at Spartan Plaza. Investigators said evidence at the scene made clear that Waddell had been struck by a moving vehicle and dragged before she was found. Sheriff’s personnel and patrol units secured the area in the pre-dawn darkness as the coroner’s office worked alongside crime-scene technicians to document tire tracks, debris patterns and any blood evidence. Detectives canvassed the corridor for working cameras and pulled early-morning footage from businesses that had exterior systems running overnight. “This remains an active hit-and-run investigation,” a sheriff’s spokesperson said.
The coroner’s office confirmed Waddell’s identity and time of death and said the body showed injuries consistent with being run over and dragged. Investigators said one security video helped them identify the type of vehicle linked to the collision, though officials did not publicly release a make or model while they narrowed the search. Detectives also collected still images for internal comparisons and cross-checked them against reports of similar vehicles seen in the area before sunrise. The sheriff’s office said it is handling leads and working with state highway investigators on speed and movement estimates as they build a timeline from the first 911 call to the arrival of deputies and medics.
Relatives described Waddell as a young mother who had just started life with her infant daughter. Family photos shared with local media showed her smiling with loved ones before the holidays. People who live and work near the plaza said they woke to flashing lights and police tape closing off sections of the lot. A store employee who arrived later Wednesday morning said crews remained on scene for hours as investigators measured distances and marked points on the pavement. By midday, most patrol units had cleared, but markers and chalk outlines of tire paths were still visible near the storefronts.
The shopping center at 369 Whitney Road is a busy hub in north Spartanburg, with retail shops and a grocery that typically draw early-morning workers and deliveries. Investigators said they sought footage from overnight trucks and neighboring roads to see if any dash cameras captured a vehicle entering or leaving the lot around 3 a.m. Officials did not immediately describe weather or lighting conditions, though businesses in the plaza generally keep lighted facades and pole lamps on throughout the night. Deputies said they were also checking whether any recent property-damage reports or abandoned vehicles matched what was seen on video.
Authorities said standard procedures include a coroner’s autopsy to determine the precise cause and manner of death and to document injuries that may indicate how the vehicle moved in relation to the body. Detectives plan to compare medical findings with scene evidence and video timestamps to refine the sequence of events. If a driver is identified, prosecutors could consider charges under South Carolina statutes governing leaving the scene of an accident involving death, among other potential offenses. The sheriff’s office said it would update the public when major developments occur, including the recovery of the vehicle or an arrest.
Through the week, the sheriff’s office asked residents and business owners along Whitney Road and the surrounding blocks to check cameras for any passing vehicle that appears damaged or out of place between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Wednesday. The agency provided an investigator’s direct phone number for tips and said it was coordinating with state partners on any forensic enhancement of video pulled from the shopping center. Meanwhile, friends and relatives began sharing memories and arranging remembrances for Waddell, noting she had celebrated the birth of her daughter just months earlier.
As of Saturday, investigators had not released a description of the suspect vehicle and no arrests were reported. The next update is expected after the coroner’s autopsy report and further review of surveillance footage from Spartan Plaza and nearby roads.
Author note: Last updated January 10, 2026.