Crime & Courts

Man found dead hanging in tree near golf course in SC, police say

Aiken authorities are investigating a man’s death after he was found hanging in a tree.

Officers with the Aiken Department of Public Safety and Aiken County Coroner’s Office found 40-year-old Vernon P. Seigler’s body in the woods next to the Aiken Golf Club course. He was pronounced dead just after 11:30 a.m. Friday.

Seigler was hanging upside down in the tree with his leg caught in the branches, the coroner’s office said in a statement.

The golf course is about 10 miles off Interstate 20 at the edge of the city of Aiken.

Officials are investigating how Seigler ended up in the hanging position. No foul play is suspected, the statement said.

Seigler will be autopsied in Newberry to determine the cause of his death.

An autopsy determines whether a death was accidental or non-accidental. Testing for drugs or alcohol is typically done with the examination.

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This story was originally published October 26, 2019 at 11:41 AM.

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David Travis Bland
The State
David Travis Bland is The State’s editorial editor. In his prior position as a reporter, he was named the 2020 South Carolina Journalist of the Year by the SC Press Association. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2010. Support my work with a digital subscription
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