{
  "id": 2707198,
  "title": "How an oil trail led to suspect in South Carolina hit-and-run homicide",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/how-an-oil-trail-led-to-suspect-in-south-carolina-hit-and-run-homicide",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-23T03:04:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CBS News",
    "slug": "cbs-news",
    "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/davis-mcclendon-bud-ackerman-south-carolina-hit-and-run-homicide-48-hours/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On May 7, 2023, investigators responded to a reported road accident in Greenwood, South Carolina. They found the body of 46-year-old Davis McClendon, 50 feet away from a BMW 5 Series sedan. The front driver's side wheel of the vehicle was slightly turned, indicating a significant impact. Sheriff's Investigator Patrick Durkin arrived at the scene and noticed unusual damage to the BMW, suggesting it might not be a regular hit-and-run accident. The airbags were deployed, and a phone was found on the front passenger seat. Two women at the scene, Meredith Haynie and Megan McGovern, provided statements about what they saw and what had occurred that night. Haynie had been dating McClendon, and the two had been together for less than six months. The night of McClendon's death, Haynie and McGovern had been at a club, where they met McClendon. He had called Haynie shortly after leaving the club, saying he was parked at the intersection of Avid Road and Sawgrass Place. When he failed to return her call, Haynie got a ride from McGovern, who was the first to see McClendon's body. Durkin also noted an oil slick on the road and footprints and tire tracks leading away from the oil stain, which he believed indicated evidence from the vehicle that hit McClendon.",
  "summary": "A trail of clues — including an oil leak, security video and data from a truck's onboard computer — lead S.C. investigators to a jealous man suspected of running down a romantic rival.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}