Funeral arranged for USC student found dead near Olympia
A funeral and visitation has been arranged for 19-year-old University of South Carolina student Samuel Earl Laundon.
A visitation will be on Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. at Apex Funeral Home, 550 W. Williams Street, Apex, NC 27502. His funeral will follow at 3 p.m. at the same location.
The funeral can be streamed online.
Laundon was last seen alive jumping a fence at the Vulcan Materials quarry at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. The quarry is in the Olympia-Granby area of Columbia.
Laundon was reported missing later on Saturday. His body was found at the quarry where authorities said he died at the scene.
A former mentor of Laundon called him “a wonderful young man,” in an online post.
“I saw him blossom into an excellent student and a great leader. His smile was infectious,” he said.
Laundon was remembered for his drive and determination as a JROTC cadet.
Laundon was majoring in international business at USC.
This story was originally published October 14, 2020 at 2:10 PM.