The human remains that were found near a quarry in South Carolina over the weekend have been identified as missing 19-year-old University of South Carolina student, authorities confirmed on Monday.
The search for Samuel Laundon was suspended on Sunday after firefighters found a body among shrubbery in the Martin Marietta Cayce Quarry in Colombia around 5 p.m. which matched the description of the missing student, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
“This is not the outcome we were hoping for,” Richmond Sheriff Leon Lott said. “I’m sorry it ended this way. We are praying for him and his family.”
Gary Watts of the Richland County Coroner’s Office confirmed on Monday that Laundon died from blunt force trauma to the head and body.
Laundon was last seen on the night of Oct. 10 around 2:30 a.m. in the Olympia-Granby area, which is about a mile from the university campus.
The student went missing after he and a group of friends were walking back home when they got lost and called a ride-sharing service to bring them home. Laundon reportedly refused to join the ride after jumping a fence, refusing to climb back over. He then continued on foot in the “hopes of reaching his destination faster,” according to the statement.
Deputies were however not notified about what happened and Laundon was reported missing Saturday afternoon around 1 p.m., police said.
Search crews immediately started to cover the area he was last seen in a large search effort that involved K-9’s, as well as a helicopter and aerial drone. After a two-day search, a firefighter ultimately recovered Laundon’s body in a hard-to-reach area by foot that included a view obstructed by shrubbery.
The University of South Carolina president Bob Caslen wrote a statement extending his condolences to everyone impacted by the loss of Laundon.
“Our deepest sympathies and heartfelt prayers are with Sam’s family and friends as they grieve his loss,” Caslen said. “Counseling services are available to students, faculty, and staff impacted by this tragedy.”
Laundon’s eldest brother, Thomas Laundon, spoke with WCSC5 at the time he was missing, saying he was told he and friends were at a party and that “he would never leave his friends and his family behind like this.”
“Sam is the quietest most well-behaved kid out of all of us. It doesn’t seem like him to just leave his girlfriend at 2:30 in the morning after leaving a party,” he told the network.
“He would’ve walked her home. He would never leave his friends and his family behind like this. Something seems weird about this, definitely,” he continued.
