Body found in Finlay Park pond identified by Richland County coroner

The man whose body was found in a downtown Columbia park Friday has been identified by the Richland County coroner.

Jerry Jermaine Hickson was discovered in the pond at Finlay Park, according to a news release from Coroner Gary Watts.

The 29-year-old Myrtle Beach man “was pronounced dead at the scene,” after his body was found at about 11 a.m., Watts said in the news release.

A passerby found an “unresponsive” Hickson and called 911, the Columbia Police Department reported on Twitter.

Hickson “was floating face up in the pond” and “had a face full of ice,” according to Hank Harris, a witness who was in the park when the body was discovered, The State previously reported.

There were no signs of trauma discovered in an autopsy, but Hickson’s cause of death “is pending further studies,” Watts reported in the news release.

Both the coroner’s office and Columbia Police Department are continuing to investigate the death.

This story was originally published December 16, 2018 at 11:45 AM.