This undated photo provided by the Columbia Police Service shows Samantha Josephson, a student from the University of South Carolina who reportedly went missing after being seen on March 29, 2019. The university confirmed Saturday the death of the student. (Photo: AP)

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A vigil Sunday evening will pay tribute to a student from the University of South Carolina who, according to authorities, has murdered after confusing his killer's car with an Uber, then stuck in the back seat with child locks.

Nathaniel David Rowland, 24, faces charges of murder and kidnapping after the death of Samantha Josephson, 21 years old. A bail hearing was scheduled for Sunday.

Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said Josephson, an elder who was planning to attend law school, was standing near the Bird Dog Bar in the city's Five Points Entertainment District, around 2 am Friday. , when Rowland rolled in her Chevrolet Impala.

"In fact, she had called a Uber ride," said Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook. "She just mistakenly entered this car thinking that it was an Uber."

Josephson's friends filed a missing persons report that afternoon, when she was not returning to The Hub, an apartment complex located in Columbia, where she lived with friends and n & # 39; He was not reachable on his mobile phone.

Less than three hours later, Clarendon County Sheriff's deputies responded to reports that turkey hunters had found a body in a rural area 65 miles from the site of Josephson's last visit. The body was located in a known area of ​​Rowland, a place where he recently resided, Holbrook said.

Arrest warrants indicated that Josephson had been injured in the body, including the head and neck.

"Our hearts are broken," Holbrook said. "There is nothing more difficult than standing in front of a family and explaining how a loved one was murdered."

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Police released detailed information about the suspect vehicle about the same time the body was found, Holbrook said. On Saturday, a Columbia dog officer stopped a black Chevy Impala two blocks from the Five Points Zone, Holbrook said.

The driver briefly escaped on foot before being sued and was arrested. Holbrook said that Josephson's phone had been found in the car, as well as "a lot of blood", bleach and other cleaning products.

The vehicle's locks were activated, which would have prevented any escape, said Holbrook.

The President of the University of South Carolina, Harris Pastides, has offered his condolences to his loved ones. He also urged students to pay attention.

"Be wary of each other, be active bystanders," he said. "Group travel and stay together."

An election campaign to cover the cost of funerals and commemorations, with a goal of $ 5,000, had attracted more than $ 35,000 in donations announced Sunday. Josephson's father, Seymour Josephson, posted on Facebook a note containing details of his funeral Wednesday in his native New Jersey.

"I will love my little girl for the rest of my life," he said, "Samantha is no longer with us but she will not be forgotten."

Bacon reported from McLean, Virginia. Contributed by Donna Isbell Walker and Mollie R. Simon, The Greenville News

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