Walk down Ocean Boulevard on a Tuesday in July and you’ll see exactly what the brochures promised. Melted ice cream on the sidewalk. Neon lights. Families carrying neon-colored floats toward the Atlantic. It’s the "Grand Strand" in all its kitschy, sun-drenched glory. But if you’ve spent any time on social media lately, you’ve likely seen a different version of the city. One defined by yellow tape. One defined by the grim reality of murders in Myrtle Beach SC.
The contrast is jarring. Honestly, it’s enough to make any tourist hesitate before booking that oceanfront suite.
Is Myrtle Beach actually dangerous? Or are we just hyper-focused on the rare, violent outliers because they happen in a place meant for relaxation? It’s complicated. If you look at the raw numbers from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) or the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR), the statistics can look scary. However, those numbers often lack context. You’ve got to realize that Myrtle Beach has a permanent population of roughly 38,000 people, but it hosts over 17 million visitors a year. When crime rates are calculated based on the permanent population, the math gets wonky. It makes the city look like a war zone on paper, even though the vast majority of those "crimes" involve people who don't actually live there.
Why Murders in Myrtle Beach SC Get So Much Press
National news loves a tragedy in a vacation spot. When a shooting happens in a residential neighborhood in a major metro area, it’s a local blip. When it happens three blocks from a Ferris wheel where families are eating corn dogs? That’s a headline.
Take the 2017 Father’s Day weekend shooting. It was captured on Facebook Live. It went viral instantly. That single event did more to shape the public perception of murders in Myrtle Beach SC than a decade of actual police reports. It created this narrative of a "lawless" strip. Since then, the city has dumped millions into "smart city" technology. Hundreds of cameras now watch the boulevard. They have license plate readers. They have boosted police presence during "peak" weekends.
But violence persists. It’s usually not random, though.
If you dig into the case files of the Horry County Coroner’s Office, a pattern emerges. Most homicides in the area aren't predatory "stranger danger" attacks on tourists. They are interpersonal. They are domestic. Or, quite often, they are related to the drug trade that snakes through the coastal corridors of Highway 17. The 2024 and 2025 data shows a heavy concentration of violent incidents in specific pockets, often away from the tourist-heavy "Golden Mile" and more toward the south end or the unincorporated areas of Horry County.
The Geography of Crime: Beyond the Boardwalk
Myrtle Beach isn't just one block.
There’s the City of Myrtle Beach. Then there’s North Myrtle Beach—which is its own separate municipality with much lower crime rates. Then you have "Horry County," which covers the vast stretches of land surrounding the city limits. This is where things get confusing for outsiders. A murder might happen ten miles inland in a spot like Longs or Loris, but the news report will still say "Myrtle Beach area."
🔗 Read more: Who is Leanne Lewis? The Life of James William Lewis’s Wife After the Tylenol Murders
- The South End: Historically, the area near the old Air Force base and the lower numbered avenues has seen higher calls for service.
- The "Strip": High visibility, high police presence, but high-density crowds mean things can escalate quickly after midnight when the bars let out.
- Unincorporated Horry County: This is where the landscape changes. It's rural. It's harder to patrol. This is where a significant portion of the violent crime in the region actually occurs, away from the prying eyes of the hotel cameras.
Police Chief Amy Prock has been vocal about "proactive policing." The department has tried to shift the focus from just responding to crimes to preventing them through environmental design. Better lighting. Fencing. Moving the traffic flow. Does it work? Sort of. It moves the problem. It doesn't always solve the underlying issues of poverty and narcotics that drive the most serious crimes.
Addressing the "Dirty Myrtle" Stigma
People call it the "Dirty Myrtle." It’s a nickname that locals hate but many travelers use jokingly. Usually, they’re talking about the murky ocean water or the dated motels. But lately, that "dirty" label has taken on a more sinister meaning regarding safety.
Is it fair? Not really.
If you compare Myrtle Beach to other high-traffic tourist hubs—think New Orleans or even parts of Orlando—the violent crime rate isn't some massive anomaly. The difference is the density. Everything in Myrtle Beach is packed into a narrow strip of coastline. When something goes wrong, everyone sees it. Everyone hears it.
What the Data Actually Tells Us
Looking at the most recent reports from the Horry County Police Department, we see a trend. Homicides in the region often involve young men, and they often involve firearms. This isn't unique to South Carolina. It’s a national trend. But in a beach town, the stakes feel higher because the economy relies entirely on the feeling of safety.
- Domestic Violence: A staggering number of homicides in South Carolina—not just the beach—stem from domestic disputes. South Carolina consistently ranks near the top of the list for women killed by men.
- The Narcotics Link: The "corridor" effect of I-95 and Highway 17 makes the Grand Strand a transit point for illegal substances. Where there are drugs, there are guns. Where there are guns, there are eventually shootings.
- Gang Activity: Local law enforcement has acknowledged the presence of "hybrid gangs." These aren't necessarily the massive national syndicates you see in movies. They are smaller, localized groups that clash over territory or perceived slights on social media.
Safety Realities for Residents vs. Tourists
If you live in Market Common, your life feels world’s away from the reports of murders in Myrtle Beach SC. You’re walking your dog in a manicured park. But if you’re a resident in a lower-income pocket near the 3rd Avenue South corridor, the sirens are a nightly soundtrack.
For a tourist? Your risk of being a victim of a homicide is statistically near zero.
Theft? Maybe. A bar fight? Possible if you’re looking for one. But murder? It almost never happens to the person just there to build a sandcastle. The victims are almost always known to the perpetrators. It’s an "in-group" violence problem. This doesn't make the loss of life any less tragic, but it does change the risk profile for the average visitor.
The Role of "Peak" Weekends
There is an elephant in the room: Memorial Day Weekend.
For years, this has been a flashpoint for tension and violence. The Atlantic Beach Bikefest brings in tens of thousands of people. The city has struggled to manage the sheer volume of humanity. In past years, there have been high-profile shootings during this window. The city’s response was a 23-mile traffic loop, which was highly controversial and eventually struck down by courts for being discriminatory.
Since then, the city has pivoted. They now use a massive "Special Event" policing model. They bring in officers from all over the state. They use drones. They use temporary towers. It has significantly lowered the violence, but it also changed the vibe of the weekend from a party to a military operation.
How Local Government is Fighting the Narrative
The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce spends millions on marketing. Their job is to keep the "murder" narrative out of the headlines. They focus on the new breweries, the renovated boardwalk, and the golf courses.
But the local news—WMBF, WPDE, WBTW—is where the reality lives. They cover the bond hearings. They show the mugshots. There is a constant tug-of-war between the "everything is fine" marketing machine and the "if it bleeds it leads" local news cycle.
Honestly, the truth is in the middle.
Myrtle Beach isn't a utopia. It’s a real city with real-city problems. It has an opioid crisis. It has a homeless population that is often underserved. It has a high cost of living compared to local wages. All of these factors are the tinder for violent crime.
Actionable Steps for Staying Safe in the Grand Strand
You don't need to live in fear, but you should be smart. Most of this is common sense, but common sense often flies out the window when people are on vacation.
- Situational Awareness on the Boulevard: If you’re on Ocean Boulevard after 11:00 PM, stay in well-lit areas. The crowd changes as the night goes on. If you see a group starting to argue, just leave. Don't record it on your phone. Just walk away.
- Secure Your Perimeter: A lot of "crimes of opportunity" escalate. Lock your hotel balcony. Lock your car. Don't leave a handgun in your glovebox—this is one of the primary ways guns end up in the hands of criminals in South Carolina.
- Venture Inland with Caution: If you’re exploring the rural parts of Horry County or the outskirts of the city, stick to known businesses and daylight hours if you’re unfamiliar with the neighborhood.
- Check the Blotter: If you’re moving to the area, don't just look at the house. Look at the "Community Crime Map." It’s a free tool that shows every police call in the last 90 days. It’ll tell you more than a real estate agent ever will.
The Future of Public Safety in Myrtle Beach
The city is currently betting big on technology. They’re building a "Real Time Crime Center." This will allow them to track suspects through the city using a grid of thousands of cameras. It's a bit "Big Brother," but for a city desperate to shed its "dangerous" reputation, it’s the path they’ve chosen.
We are also seeing more collaboration between federal and local authorities. The "Project Lead Pipe" initiatives and similar task forces are specifically targeting the repeat offenders who drive the majority of the violent crime statistics.
💡 You might also like: The Mount Horeb Incident: What Really Happened During the Madison Wisconsin School Shooting Scare
At the end of the day, murders in Myrtle Beach SC are a symptom of larger societal issues. They aren't a reflection of the average visitor’s experience. You can go to Myrtle Beach every year for fifty years and never see a crime more serious than a parking ticket. But ignoring the reality of the violence doesn't help the people who live there and deal with it daily.
If you want to stay informed, follow the local police department’s transparency portals. They provide weekly updates and are surprisingly open about where the "hot spots" are. Understanding the layout of the land—knowing where the city ends and the county begins—is the best way to navigate the Grand Strand safely. Focus on the facts, not the viral videos, and you’ll see the city for what it actually is: a bustling, imperfect, beautiful coastal hub trying to outrun its own reputation.