Body was found inside an abandoned motel. Months later Lexington County coroner IDs man
In August, a man’s body was found inside an abandoned motel in Columbia, and on Monday he was publicly identified by the Lexington County Coroner’s Office.
The man was identified as 49-year-old Columbia resident Anthony Wayne McCullough, Coroner Margaret Fisher said in a news release.
Fisher said that McCullough had been dead for about two to three weeks when his body was discovered inside a room at the former Motel 6 at 1776 Burning Tree Drive.
The motel had been permanently closed on March 1, and has since been demolished, according to Fisher. It was near Exit 106 on Interstate 26, which is the junction with St. Andrews Road in the part of Columbia that falls in Lexington County
On Aug. 14, a man told deputies he found the body in a third-floor room in the former motel while he was looking for his girlfriend, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
The man told deputies he couldn’t remember which room the body was in, but said they could find it because it was next to a room where lots of mattresses were inside, an incident report said.
Two deputies found the room and when they tried to push open the bathroom door they saw a hand, according to the incident report.
The body was leaning against the door, making it impossible for the deputies to gain access, so they called the Lexington County Fire Service to force open the entrance, the incident report said.
Initially, the man’s age, race and identity were unknown because of the condition of his body, Fisher said.
McCullough was ultimately identified through DNA analysis after tips received from friends and a possible family member, according to Fisher.
An autopsy was performed on Aug. 16 at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, and McCullough’s cause of death was determined to be a multi-drug overdose which included methamphetamines and fentanyl, Fisher said.
McCullough’s manner of death was ruled accidental, according to Fisher.
“The Lexington County Coroner’s Office appreciates all of the tips and information received in this case which led to the positive identification of Mr. McCullough,” Fisher said in the release. “Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. McCullough.”
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