Body found in Columbia quarry could be missing USC student, Richland Co. sheriff says
A body matching the description of a missing University of South Carolina student was found Sunday night, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Samuel Laundon, 19, had been missing since Saturday morning, and authorities had combed the area by air and foot the past two days. Columbia Fire Department also assisted in the search and found a man matching Laundon’s description in the Vulcan Materials Company quarry around 5 p.m. Sunday.
The search for Laundon was suspended after the body was discovered in the area called difficult to reach by foot where the view was obstructed by shrubbery, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
The quarry is in the Olympia-Granby area near where Laundon was last seen by friends, according to the release.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to confirm the man’s identity and determine the cause of death.
“This is not the outcome we were hoping for,” Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said Sunday in the release. “I’m sorry it ended this way. We are praying for him and his family.”
Laundon was walking home with several friends in the Olympia-Granby area when they got lost Saturday at about 2:30 a.m., according to police. Laundon jumped a fence in an effort “to reach his destination faster,” the sheriff’s department said. When his friends called a ride-sharing service to take them home, Laundon declined to climb back over, according to the release.
That happened after law enforcement broke up a crowd of students because of a noise complaint, the Daily Gamecock reported.
Laundon is listed in USC’s online student directory, and a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department confirmed he is a student.
The Olympia-Granby area is adjacent to the University of South Carolina campus and is home to several apartment complexes and numerous rental houses that are popular with students.
During the search, the sheriff’s department said it used a helicopter, drones, a K-9, in addition to deputies looking on foot.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published October 11, 2020 at 9:33 PM.
CORRECTION: The name of the quarry where a body was found was incorrect in the original version of this story based on original information provided by police. It has been corrected to be Vulcan Materials Company.
