24-year-old Clarendon native charged in killing of USC student

Body found by turkey hunters on isolated road in New Zion

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A Clarendon County native has been arrested and charged in the death of a 21-year-old University of South Carolina student whose body was found Friday afternoon on an isolated road in the New Zion area of Clarendon County.

Nathaniel David Rowland, 24, of Columbia, was detained early Saturday in Columbia by law enforcement officials, according to Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook, who made comments Saturday night in a joint news conference with Clarendon County Sheriff Tim Baxley.

Rowland, who graduated from East Clarendon High School, has been charged with murder and kidnapping in the death of Samantha Josephson, who was a USC senior from Robinsville, New Jersey.

According to police, Rowland approached Josephson about 2:09 a.m. Friday morning outside a bar on Harden Street in the Five Points nightspot of Columbia. That was the last time she was seen.

The Columbia police chief said the USC student had called and was waiting for an Uber ride and likely mistakenly got into Rowland’s car, assuming it was that ride. Rowland was driving a late model, black Chevy Impala, according to surveillance video.

About 3:45 p.m. Friday, a pair of area turkey hunters discovered a body on Black Bottom Road in New Zion. Just a couple hours earlier, at 1:30 p.m., Columbia police were notified by Josephson’s friends that she had been missing since early Friday and didn’t answer calls to her cellphone.

State Law Enforcement Division officials assisted Clarendon authorities in the investigation of the dead body and later confirmed it was Josephson.

About 3 a.m. Saturday, again in the Five Points area, a Columbia police officer stopped Rowland in his car at a traffic stop. Rowland fled and was detained shortly thereafter.

According to authorities, blood was found in his car, and the vehicle was turned over to SLED for investigation. Later, the agency confirmed the blood in the car matched Josephson’s blood. Her cellphone was also found in the car.

At Saturday night’s news conference, authorities didn’t take media questions.

Holbrook did praise Clarendon County Sheriff’s Department and Clarendon Coroner Bucky Mock for their assistance.