Search for missing USC student takes flight, Richland County sheriff says
Sunday marked the second day of the search for a missing University of South Carolina student.
In an effort to locate Samuel Laundon, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said it took to the skies above Columbia.
Deputies used a drone, and the sheriff’s department said it expects to use a helicopter for a more expansive aerial search.
That is in addition to searching on foot and using a department dog to try and locate the 19-year-old USC student who was reported missing Saturday afternoon, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
Laundon was walking home with several friends in the Olympia-Granby area when they got lost on Saturday at about 2:30 a.m., according to the release. Laundon jumped a fence in an effort to reach his destination faster, and when his friends called a ride-sharing service to take them home, Laundon declined to climb back over, the sheriff’s department said.
That happened after law enforcement broke up a crowd of students because of a noise complaint, the Daily Gamecock reported.
The sheriff’s department said Laundon was last seen wearing a green T-shirt, white shorts, blue jacket and black shoes in the area where several student housing complexes are located.
Laundon is listed in USC’s online student directory, and a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department confirmed he is a student.
Anyone who has any information or might know of Laundon’s whereabouts is asked to call 911.
This is a developing news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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This story was originally published October 10, 2020 at 6:54 PM.
