Sad end to search for missing South Carolina woman, officials say
The search for a missing South Carolina woman came to an end Tuesday when her body was found, according to the Saluda County Coroner’s Office.
The body of 82-year-old Batesburg-Leesville resident Edwinton K. Henderson was found near a dirt portion of a street just inside the Saluda County line, Coroner Angie Rita said Wednesday in a news release.
No cause of death was announced by the coroner’s office, but an autopsy will be conducted Wednesday, according to the release. The coroner’s office did not say if foul play was suspected.
At 6:30 a.m., Henderson’s family told the Batesburg-Leesville Police Department that the woman was missing, according to the release. She had last been seen at 9 p.m. Monday, police said.
The temperature in Batesburg-Leesville had dropped into the 20s overnight Monday and into Tuesday morning, according to Weather Underground.
At about 9 a.m. Tuesday, police publicly reported Henderson missing and asked for help finding the woman who they said suffered from dementia and other serious medical issues.
Police also said Henderson had a history of walking away from her Humphrey Street home.
The time when Henderson’s body was discovered was not available, but the coroner’s office said it was in the morning.
“Thankfully her body was located, though it was not the outcome any of us had hoped,” the coroner’s office said.
The coroner, police and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, who helped in the search, are continuing to investigate Henderson’s death.
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