Man’s body found in bushes near Home Depot, Richland County sheriff’s deputies say
A dead man was found in the bushes near a Home Depot in Columbia Monday morning, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
The body was discovered at about 6 a.m. near the Home Depot store on Forum Drive by a shopping plaza, the sheriff’s department told The State. That’s in the Sandhills area, near U.S. 1/Two Notch Road.
Deputies were responding to a call about a suspicious person when they found an unresponsive man, according to the sheriff’s department. The man who died was the person that was reported as suspicious, the sheriff’s department said.
EMS arrived and pronounced the man dead, according to the sheriff’s department.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office is expected to publicly identify the man after notifying the next of kin.
An autopsy has been scheduled, according to the sheriff’s department.
There were no obvious signs of trauma and currently foul play is not suspected in the man’s death, the sheriff’s department said. Deputies said they believe the man overdosed, but that will have to be confirmed by the coroner’s office.
The sheriff’s department said it will wait for the coroner’s office to make it’s determinations before proceeding with a criminal investigation.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2021 at 11:47 AM.
