Decomposing body found in wooded area of Columbia, police say

A body was found in a wooded area of Columbia on Saturday, according to the Forest Acres Police Department.

The body was discovered in the area between Two Notch Road and Linbrook Drive, Police Chief Don Robinson said in a news release. That’s primarily a residential area, but several businesses are located on Two Notch Road.

Police said the person is not believed to be a Forest Acres resident. No foul play is suspected at this time, according to Robinson.

Information on how, and about what time, the body was found was not available.

After the body was discovered, responding officers called the Richland County Coroner’s Office, and it was confirmed that the “on-site remains are human,” police said.

No name, age, or gender of the person was released. Police said the body is in a state of decomposition, so no further information will be released until an autopsy is performed.

There was no word on how long the body might have been in the woods.

This is the second time in little more than a week a body has been discovered in Forest Acres.

On Feb. 2, Brandon Van Dyke was found behind the wheel of a car at The Landings at Forest Place Apartments, according to police. The 30-year-old Columbia resident was taken to an area hospital where he died from a gunshot wound, police said.

On Feb. 8, Tyrik Edgerton, 19, was taken into custody on a murder charge at the same apartment complex where Van Dyke was shot, Robinson said.

Van Dyke’s death was the first homicide in Forest Acres since the shooting death of Officer Greg Alia on Sept. 30, 2015, police said.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription