Man found dead outside USC parking garage considered a suicide

Authorities said the death of the man who was found Sunday outside a University of South Carolina parking garage isn’t seen as foul play, and is considered to be a suicide.

“This is considered a suicide, that’s what everything points to,” said Richland County Coroner Gary Watts, adding the man in his mid 30s wasn’t a USC student.

Watts said the cause of death was trauma associated from a fall off an upper floor of the parking garage, which is a five-story building.

The body was discovered about 12:30 or 1 p.m. outside the parking garage at Blossom and Bull streets, Watts said. The garage is near the city’s Maxcy Gregg Park, just west of Five Points.

“This is not seen as foul play,” said South Carolina Law Enforcement Division spokesman Thom Berry, adding SLED is leading the investigation.

Anytime there’s a death on campus, even if it doesn’t involve a student, SLED takes over the investigation.

This is the second time in the past 16 months a body was discovered outside the parking garage. A Columbia man in his mid 20s was found outside the garage in May of 2015.

Watts said that was also considered a suicide. The autopsy found that man sustained blunt force injuries to the head consistent with a fall from a significant height.