Man whose decomposing body was found in Columbia woods is identified, officials say
Officials have identified the man whose body was found in a wooded area of Columbia over the weekend.
The body of Devin Alan Herlong, 42, was discovered on Saturday, the Forest Acres Police Department said in a news release.
An autopsy completed by the Richland County Coroner’s Office showed no foul play was involved in the Columbia resident’s death, according to the release.
His body was discovered in the area between Two Notch Road and Linbrook Drive, Forest Acres Police Chief Don Robinson said in a news release. That’s primarily a residential area, but several businesses are located on Two Notch Road.
Information on how, and about what time, the body was found was not available.
Because the body was in a state of decomposition, police waited until the autopsy was completed before releasing Herlong’s identification.
No cause of death was listed, and information on how Herlong wound up in the woods was not available.
There was no word on how long his body was in the woods.
This was the second time in little more than a week that Forest Acres police investigated a public death.
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, police 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.
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This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 7:06 AM.
