Updated with Coroner’s correction on street where the death occurred.
Aiken County authorities are investigating the shooting death of a 53-year-old woman found inside her Warrenville home early Monday morning.
Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables said his office was called to a residence on the 100 block of Whaley Street at 2:30 a.m. in response to a shooting. Law enforcement had arrived minutes earlier, at approximately 2:24 a.m., and found Cherie Hewitt unresponsive inside the home.
Hewitt was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:10 a.m. from a single gunshot wound, according to Ables. An autopsy is scheduled to be performed later this week in Newberry.
The Aiken County Coroner’s Office and the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death. No other information was released.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Hewitt was a trailblazer in organic farming and later transitioned into remote work. She described herself as the first USDA-certified organic farmer in the Southeast and spent years mentoring new farmers, selling produce locally, and educating others through training conferences.
After stepping back from farming, Hewitt took on a caregiving role, obtaining emergency custody of her grandson in 2021 and pausing her career to support him.
Note: If you have a better photo of Cherie to share, please text it to 803-487-3224.
