COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Richland County Coroner's Office has identified the body found at Lake Carolina as Theron Wallace, a college student who'd earlier been reported as missing.
Coroner Naida Rutherford said Wednesday afternoon they confirmed the body that was recovered Tuesday night was Wallace, who was 20 years old.
“This has been a difficult week for the Wallace family," Rutherford said in a statement. "While we didn’t get the results we hoped for, we are grateful that this family can begin the process for healing. We will continue working with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to fully investigate this accident."
Rutherford said the discovery was made around 4:35 p.m. Tuesday and the Wallace's body was removed by South Carolina Department of Natural Resource officers and members of her forensic team.
There had been a search for over 10 days in that area for 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.