Police have apprehended a man suspected of murdering 21-year-old South Carolina college student Samantha Josephson who was found dead on the side of a road March 29.
The suspect, Nathaniel David Rowland, 24, was pulled over for a traffic stop in the early morning hours of March 30 driving a black Chevy Impala, which police say was the same type of car Josephson was last seen entering in Columbia around 2 a.m. on March 29, according to CBS.
“Our hearts are broken,” said Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook in a press conference on Saturday. “There is nothing tougher than to stand before a family and explain how a loved one was murdered.”
Josephson had last been seen leaving a bar in the early hours of March 29 and getting into a black car, which police think she may have thought was her Uber ride. About 14 hours later, her body was found near a road by a pair of turkey hunters, who reported it to police.
Police say that Josephson’s cell phone was found in the back of the car that Rowland was driving, along with what investigators believe to be her blood. Police also say they found containers of liquid bleach, germicidal wipes and window cleaner in the vehicle. They also found that the car’s child locks had been activated.
Police say they have charged Rowland with murder and kidnapping.
A GoFundMe page established in an “effort to help raise money for her funeral/memorial costs” has raised over $30,000 as of Sunday.
“I will miss and love my baby girl for the rest of life,” Josephson’s father posted on Facebook on March 30. “It is extremely hard to write this and post it, but I love her with all my heart. I could continue to write about her but it kills me.”
“Our prayers are with the family and friends of Samantha Josephson following the devastating news of her death,” wrote Harris Pastides, the President of the University of South Carolina, in a statement. “Times like these leave me searching for words of wisdom and comfort.”
