A 25-year-old man has been charged with kidnapping and murdering a New Jersey woman who went missing in Columbia, South Carolina, after a night out with friends.
Investigators said Nathaniel David Rowland killed Samantha Josephson, of Robbinsville Township, New Jersey, in the early hours of March 29 and dumped her body in a rural area outside Columbia.
Large amounts of her blood and Josephson’s cell phone were found inside his car, according to investigators. Authorities also found a container of liquid bleach, window cleaner and sanitizing wipes.
Josephson was a senior at the University of South Carolina with hopes of continuing her education at Philadelphia’s Drexel University, according to her family.
Instead, the 21-year-old was found murdered by a group of hunters, Columbia police said.
Officials suspect Josephson accidentally climbed into Rowland’s car thinking it was the Uber she had been waiting for in the 5 Points section of Columbia.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I write these words this morning. Our prayers are with the family and friends of Samantha Josephson following the devastating news of her death,” USC president Harris Pastides said in a statement to students.
Josephson’s father posted on Facebook that he “will miss and love my baby girl for the rest of life.”
Photo Credit: Columbia Police Department
Source: NBC San Diego
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