Add Us On GoogleAdd as a preferred source on Google
S.C. (WIS/Gray News) – Preliminary autopsy results show a 29-year-old South Carolina master deputy who died during a training dive in Lake Murray drowned, officials said
On Thursday, the Lexington County Coroner released the preliminary autopsy results for Master Deputy Jillian Olson, who died in the line of duty during a dive on Lake Murray on July 30
The autopsy, performed at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston on Monday, found that Olson died due to a freshwater drowning
Officials say the circumstances that led to Olson’s death are still under investigation
Olson’s funeral was held Wednesday at Pilgrim Lutheran Church; the burial followed at the St. Michael Lutheran Church cemetery on River Road in Columbia
During the service, her father, Jim Olson, spoke about what he will carry forward from his daughter’s life
“What we’ll remember most isn’t just what Jillian accomplished. We will remember how she made people feel. She made people feel protected. She made people laugh. She made people feel important. She made people feel loved,” Jim Olson said
Olson moved to South Carolina from her home state of Illinois to join the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. She was sworn in as a deputy in 2021 and joined the department’s dive team in 2024. She had recently completed her 100th dive
“She was proud to wear the badge, and she was proud of the people she wore it beside her. Outside of work, Jillian loved life with the same intensity. She loved the lake. She loved paddleboarding, kayaking and playing on the jet ski. But most of all she loved floating in the water. It brought her peace,” her dad said. “She didn’t watch life; she jumped in — literally and figuratively.”
Gov. Henry McMaster also ordered flags across the state be at half-staff in Olson’s honor on Wednesday
Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon announced that Olson’s call sign, 122, will be retired in her honor
Copyright 2026 WIS
