Suwanee man found dead on Hilton Head Island, identity released

Authorities have identified the man found dead in the South Forest Beach area of Hilton Head Island as 23-year-old Grant Polston of Suwanee, Georgia. The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office said Polston was pronounced dead at the scene on June 13, and the official cause of death has not yet been released.

Deputies with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office were sent to the area early Saturday after the Communications Center received a report of a deceased person in South Forest Beach. When first responders arrived, they found an adult male who appeared to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound, investigators said. The sheriff’s office initially withheld the victim’s name while family members were notified and investigators gathered evidence at the scene.

The sheriff’s office is leading the investigation, and authorities said there is no threat to the public. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday at the Medical University of South Carolina, a step that will help determine the manner and cause of death.

For Forsyth County readers, the only confirmed North Georgia tie is Polston’s hometown. Officials have identified him as a Suwanee resident, but they have not released any information showing a broader local connection to Forsyth County. The case remains centered in Beaufort County, where investigators are still working through the circumstances surrounding the death on Hilton Head Island.