University of South Carolina student found dead near quarry
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A University of South Carolina student who went missing while walking home with friends over the weekend was found dead near a quarry after a two-day search, according to authorities.
Rescue crews in Columbia found a body matching the description of Samuel Laundon, 19, about 5 p.m. Sunday, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Coroner Gary Watts confirmed Monday the body found near the Vulcan Material Company Quarry was Laundon, a sophomore from Cary, North Carolina. The student died from blunt force trauma to the head and body, Watts determined.
Laundon was last seen about 2:30 a.m. Saturday walking with friends in a neighborhood just over a mile from the university campus, Columbia police said. The group got lost and Laundon jumped a fence “to reach his destination faster,” the sheriff’s department said.
His friends called a ride to pick them up, but Laundon declined to join, officials said.
Laundon’s body was discovered in an area that officials said was difficult to reach by foot and included a view obstructed by shrubbery.
University President Bob Caslen confirmed the student’s death in a statement Monday, extending “deepest sympathies and heartfelt prayers” to Laundon’s family and friends. He added that counseling services would be available to the campus community.
