Columbia, SC A Cary University of South Carolina student who disappeared while walking home with friends over the weekend was found dead near a quarry after a two-day walk and air search, according to officials.
Rescuers in Columbia found a body that matches Samuel Laundon’s description, 19, at about 5 pm on Sunday, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Coroner Gary Watts confirmed on Monday, October 12, that the body found near the Vulcan Materials Company quarry was Laundon, a sophomore from Cary, North Carolina. The student died of blunt trauma to the head and body, Watts concluded.
Laundon was last seen at about 2:30 am on Saturday, walking with friends in a neighborhood just over 2 kilometers from the university campus, Columbia police said. The group got lost and Laundon jumped over a fence “to get to his destination faster,” said the sheriff’s department.
His friends hitchhiked to pick them up, but Laundon refused to enter, officials said.
Laundon’s body was discovered in an area that officials said was difficult to reach on foot and included a view obstructed by shrubs.
University president Bob Caslen confirmed the student’s death in a statement on Monday, extending “the deepest condolences and sincere prayers” to Laundon’s family and friends. He added that counseling services would be available to the campus community.