Arrest at the death of a SC student kidnapped in a fake ride from Uber | New

A man from Clarendon County was arrested on Saturday following the death of a 21-year-old University of South Carolina student who mistakenly entered a car that she thought was a Uhare that she had ordered.

Nathaniel David Rowland, 24, was captured in the vicinity of Samantha Josephson, who was missing about 24 hours earlier, said Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook.

Rowland will be charged with murder and kidnapping by the state's law enforcement division, Holbrook said.

"It was a bad scene," said the chef.

Josephson was out with friends at a bar in Columbia's Five Points when she left at around 1:30 am to pick up an Uber. She was gone and her friends called the police around 1:30 pm Friday.

"They had gone out with Samantha the night before and were separated during the night," Holbrook said. "They did not hear from her the next morning, they became worried, they kept looking for her and tried to call her."

Over the next two hours, the investigators collected information, including surveillance cameras around Five Points, and began distributing photographs and other information, the police said. chief.

At the same time, the Clarendon County Sheriff's Office responded to a call from turkey hunters who found a body in a wooded area about 20 meters from a dirt road, said Holbrook, adding that it was "a very difficult place to access you knew how to get there."

The authorities also began looking for a black Chevrolet Impala identified as the vehicle that would have recovered Josephson, said the chief.

On Saturday, about 3 am, a police officer from British Columbia saw the Impala two blocks from Five Points, Holbrook said. When the officer approached the vehicle, Rowland escaped on foot. The agent apprehended him after a short chase.

A passenger was in Rowland's car when he escaped from the police. She was an acquaintance of Rowland and cooperates with the police, said Jennifer Timmons, a spokeswoman for the Columbia Police.

"When they came back to the car, a closer look was done to determine the presence of blood," Holbrook said.

Laboratory tests revealed that the blood in the trunk and the cockpit corresponded to Josephson, said the chief. Josephson's cell phone was also found inside the car with a container containing bleach, germicidal wipes and a window cleaner, said the chief.

Investigators determined that Josephson had ordered an Uber and was waiting for the driver to arrive when another vehicle approached her, Holbrook said. She mistakenly entered the vehicle thinking that it was her turn.

"Further investigation into the suspicious vehicle made it possible to determine the presence of a child safety seat at the back, and then the child safety locks were activated on the door to prevent anyone from Escape from behind the suspect vehicle, "Holbrook said.

Josephson's body was found in an area of ​​Clarendon County, known to Rowland, near the place where he recently lived, said the chief.

Press conference on Samantha Josephson's investigation https://t.co/PvfVmd74X9

– Columbia Police Service (@ColumbiaPDSC) March 30, 2019

"I met the family (Josephson) just before my return to headquarters," Holbrook said. "Our hearts are broken, there is nothing more difficult than standing in front of a family and explaining how a loved one was murdered, they have a lot of support here, they have a lot of family. who came to town to support them Words can not really describe what they are going through. "

Josephson, a resident of Robbinsville Township, New Jersey, who was considering attending law school, was kidnapped from the same block as Dail Dinwiddie, who has never been found since his disappearance in 1992 after leaving a bar very popular with students.

Josephson's death shocked his family and the USC campus.

"It is with great sadness and a broken heart that I publish this," said Josephson's father, Seymour, on Facebook. "I will miss and love my little girl for the rest of my life. Samantha is no longer with us but she will not be forgotten. It is extremely difficult to write this and post it, but I love it with all my heart. I could go on writing about her but it's killing me. I sit here and I cry while looking at the picture and write this.

Governor Henry McMaster spoke to Josephson's parents, who traveled to Colombia, said Brian Symmes, a spokesman for the governor.

USC President Harris Pastides warned of the dangers that Five Points poses late at night, especially after a new student was paralyzed by a lost ball in 2015.

"Our prayers are with the family and friends of Samantha Josephson following the devastating announcement of her death," Pastides said. "Moments like these leave me looking for words of wisdom and comfort."

Alex Waelde, a former bar owner at Five Points who manages the Drinking Ticket account on Twitter, popular with USC students, said people had to be careful before making a carpool jump. Tips include checking the license label of the car with that provided by the service.

"I was in Five Points the other day as a designated driver for some friends and at least three different girls came to ask me if I was their Uber," Waelde said. "Many students, I think, have become too comfortable with the academic bubble and forget that there are bad guys."

A group of USC students who wandered Saturday night into the building where Josephson was missing said that they understood how someone can get into a fake carpooling sharing.

According to them, drivers do not often speak when they get in the car, which forces drivers to ask if they are the driver indicated on the mobile phone application used to order a ride. Or the cars will approach them and the drivers ask, "Did you call Uber?"

"If you drink, you'll feel:" Oh, that's my car. It's white. It's a Chevrolet or Accord, or whatever, and you're just skipping, "said Halee Enderle. "Look, I'm not good at asking who is it for."

Enderle and her friends said they committed to checking the license tag numbers of carpool vehicles to see if they match those of the app.