COLUMBIA, S.C. — A body has been recovered at Lake Carolina in northeast Richland County in an area where a man had earlier been reported missing.
Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said the discovery was made around 4:35 p.m. Tuesday and the body was removed by South Carolina Department of Natural Resource officers and members of her forensic team.
The person, who Rutherford has not identified, is said to be an African-American male. The coroner says a full autopsy will be conducted Wednesday morning to positively identify the remains.
"We never want to give false hope or give a family wrong information, so we will positively identify this individual before sharing any other details," Rutherford said in a statement. "I have personally spoken with the family of the missing teen from Lake Carolina and they are aware of this discovery. Upon proper notification being made, we will release more detailed information."
There had been a search for over 10 days in that area for 20-year-old Theron Wallace. The University of South Carolina-Aiken student went missing on Christmas morning while he was kayaking on Lake Carolina.
On New Year's Eve, over a hundred volunteers, led by a private investigator, searched the area including in the water, but did not find him.