Mom Charged After Her Baby Dies of Overdose. When Investigating, Police Discovered She Was Allegedly Running Dogfighting Ring

Mar. 15, 2025

Sara Shakeri-Taylor.Photo:Charleston County Jail

Charleston County Jail

The charges against Shakeri-Taylor stem from May 15, at about 4 p.m., when CCSO deputies responded to reports about an unresponsive child at a home on Harwood Street in Ladson, the sheriff’s office said in the release.

Shakeri-Taylor and Gathers were home when deputies were called to their house, according to the release.

“These items were sent to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) for analysis,” it continued, further noting, “All the items were presumptive for the presence of fentanyl."

Sheriff Kristin Graziano had strong words for Shakeri-Taylor’s alleged actions.

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“As a parent, it shakes me to my core to see people be so careless and negligent with their children,” she said in the release.

“This mother made a terrible decision, and she is where she belongs,” Graziano added.

Shakeri-Taylor was initially held at the Dorchester County Detention Center but was transported to the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center on Friday, Aug. 23, the sheriff’s office said in the release.

“Other items found in the residence and on the property are widely known to be used for dog fighting,” the sheriff’s office alleged in the release.

On May 29, 2024, CCSO deputies and SLED agents executed a search warrant and allegedly found two dogs on the property. One dog they found was dead, it alleged. The three dogs were taken to the Charleston Animal Society.

Deputies also seized items known to be used for dog fighting, the release alleged.

On June 4, CCSO deputies and SLED agents located Gathers at a home in the 4400 block of Garwood Street in Ladson and took him into custody.

Since May, Shakeri-Taylor has also been charged with three counts of conspiracy, three counts of animal fighting or baiting and one count of ill treatment of animals, the release said.

“There is a co-defendant in this case, however, no details are being released at this time,” it said.

Gathers is being held in the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center. It is unclear whether the two have retained lawyers who can comment on their behalf.

source: people.com