A South Carolina police officer is being remembered after authorities confirmed she died during an underwater training exercise, with colleagues praising her long record of service to both her department and the wider community.
Jillian Olson, 29, had spent the past five years with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department (LCSD).
She began as a patrol deputy in 2021, later moved into a warrant deputy role, and was promoted to master deputy in 2025. That same year, she also joined the department’s dive team, according to an official notice.
Officials said Olson died on Thursday (30 July) while taking part in a routine underwater training session at Lake Murray, a 48,000-acre man-made reservoir in South Carolina. The officer had reportedly logged more than 100 hours underwater before the incident.
The Lexington County Coroner’s Office is now working to establish both the cause and manner of her death.
Recovery operations were led by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources through its Investigations Unit and Aquatics Investigation and Recovery (AIR) team. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division also assisted. Authorities said they will conduct an evaluation of the technical dive components and test the dive equipment with appropriate entities.
“Our hearts are broken by the loss of a valuable member of the Sheriff’s Department,” Sheriff Jay Koon said in the report.
“Jillian exemplified commitment and service. She faithfully carried out her duties and selflessly worked to make those around her better.”
Koon also said the Illinois native had built a strong reputation for service, with her work in the community reflected in a number of awards and recognitions.
Olson was named Outstanding Judicial Services Deputy of the Year at the Lexington County Sheriff’s Foundation’s annual awards banquet in 2023. She was also scheduled to receive the department’s five-year honorable service award the following month.
“The foundation recognized Jillian for showing exceptional initiative and leadership by, on her own time, developing reference guides and document templates for use by the judicial services deputies,” Koon said.
“The tools Jillian developed improved deputy training and operational workflow.”
Olson graduated from Western Illinois University in 2019 with a degree in law enforcement and justice administration. She completed a master’s degree in student personnel services from the same institution in 2021. Pastor Frank Anderson of St. Michael Lutheran Church said she was known for having an “altruistic heart”.
He said Olson, who had been a resident of Lexington, drew on her Christian faith throughout her years serving the Lexington area.
“She had a deep faith and I think that deep faith was the motivation for her to want to be a helper and serve other people,” he stated, as per the New York Post.
Olson also received the Sheriff’s Department’s Tactical Operations Support Award in 2023.
The department placed her patrol vehicle outside its Lexington headquarters “as a memorial to her commitment and sacrifice,” with community members invited to pay their respects.
Governor Henry McMaster expressed his condolences, saying he would order the flags atop the Statehouse to be lowered to half-staff on the day of her funeral.
Koon said he was “grateful” for the “sensitive and respectful way” investigators have dealt with the case.
“I would also like to express my thanks to the countless public safety agencies that responded without hesitation from across the whole state to help us in our time of need.”
The Lexington County Coroner’s Office and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department have been approached for further comment.