South Carolina Ping 
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Posted on 03/30/2019 10:00:05 AM PDT by Gamecock
Missing University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson has died, the school confirmed Saturday morning.
USC President Harris Pastides released a statement about Josephson’s death, saying, “Times like these leave me searching for words of wisdom and comfort.”
“Our prayers are with the family and friends of Samantha Josephson following the devastating news of her death,” Pastides wrote. “It has been a difficult week for our extended Carolina family. The loss of a student is never easy but this has been a particularly painful few days as we have experienced loss on several of our campuses. As a family, let’s continue to pray for all the families experiencing heartache and grief this week.”
The Columbia Police Department announced Friday that Josephson, a 21-year-old senior, went missing in the early hours of the morning, urging people to call with information about her or the black Chevy Impala she was last seen getting into.
On Saturday morning, Josephson’s father posted on Facebook that Samantha “is no longer with us but she will not be forgotten.”
“It is with tremendous sadness and of a broken heart that I post this! I will miss and love my baby girl for the rest of life,” Seymour Josephson wrote. “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. I sit here and cry while looking at the picture and write this.”
Seymour Josephson’s Facebook post had more than 12,000 interactions by midday Saturday.
No other new details about the case were early available.
According to Columbia police, Josephson was last seen by friends between 1:30 and 2 a.m. Friday at 715 Harden St. in Five Points.
“When she didn’t show up at her downtown residence and didn’t answer repeated phone calls, her friends became concerned and notified CPD,” police said in a statement.
A group of friends were in Five Points on Friday night, showing Josephson’s photo to people and asking if they’d seen her. Jordyn Spencer, one of those friends, said they believed that Josephson got into the wrong vehicle after calling for a ride share service.
“We’re making sure everyone is checking their (ride share service car) before they get in,” Spencer said.
Josephson was a senior political science major, set to graduate in May, Spencer said. She was preparing to go to Drexel University law school in Philadelphia.
In Pastides’ statement he said to “remember the tenets of Stand Up Carolina: look out for one another, be active bystanders. Travel in groups and stay together.” Pastides encouraged people to download the RAVE Guardian Safety App.
This is the second death of a USC student this week, following a death by suicide.
SC Ping
There needs to be a purge.
Nothing good happens in Five Points after dark.
It is a collision point between university students and, shall we say, less than savory Columbia residents.
Poor girl. May she rest in peace and prayers to her family.
Last seen getting into a car she believed was her RideShare.
Was it a RideShare or not?
Pretty cagey on details for something that points to foul play.
I never go to 5 Points or even downtown unless I absolutely have to.
My wife drags me there enough for stupid sports, arts, or culture stuff that I detest.
Very sad for the poor young lady.
“Pretty cagey on details for something that points to foul play.”
They’re probably ripping through her phone now, be patient. If I had to guess, it was a fake Uber (or Lyft) driver and she trusted his story enough to get in (something like “oh, it’s a different car, because mine is in the shop”). You really have to be careful - Uber gives you the plate, the car, the color (finally), and the driver’s first name (along with a small picture). The driver should also know your first name. If something doesn’t work, get away, particularly late at night!
Oh, and by the way, remember that while the driver may be an angel and have a clean record, and therefore is allowed to drive for Uber, that doesn’t mean his ‘friends’ are just as pure. In my case, I never let them pick me up at my house or drop me off at my house. I will typically walk a block away...they don’t need to know where I live, particularly if they’re taking me to the airport with a bunch of luggage.
A 20 year old murder case was solved around a week ago with the arrest of a Black man from Ozark, Al.
Two pretty and from all accounts, very nice girls from Dothan had become lost while going to a field party. The 17 year old’s ended up in Ozark and asked for directions. That is the last time they were seen alive.
Next day their bodies were found in the trunk of one’s car. They had been shot and one raped.
Ozark police finally got matching DNA through a family DNA site. They then matched the killer’s DNA and it was a perfect match.
He now claims he knew the girls but did not kill them. A really difficult story to believe since the Girls were from Dothan and had no reason in the world to know him.
At the time this happened I would guess this unfortunate young woman was at least somewhat ‘impaired’. I see Tulane coeds staggering about and occasionally passing out in the bushes on the streets near campus a number of times.
You shouln’t malign her with speculation ( it’s often done here, me too)
She’s dead and her parents are grieving
And if she was wobbly, someone could have spiked her drink
South Carolina Ping
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Yea, very, very sad. Go to Asia (at least most of Asia, particularly Japan), get ripped, and you’ll still be fine (or, at worst, end up in the tank). But in the US, you’re simply an easy target.
...and one can almost wager money that the person or people who killed her were well-known to law enforcement, but had never been made to do real-time, in other words, given a 479th chance.
So how did she die? She got in a car and just died?
“Pastides encouraged people to download the RAVE Guardian Safety App.”
Oh yeah, if only she had the RAVE app she’d still be alive. Shove the app...carry a gun.
Good post.
Given the location, the victim, and the timing, you can make a high probability profile already.
Since this is a dog bites man story, it’s the last you’ll ever hear of it.
so why do police say she was last seen getting into HER black chevy but elsewhere the article says she may have gotten into worng ride share vehicle?
my mistake in reading
I don’t think it’s maligning to say she was intoxicated. First, it is acceptable in college to be out drinking. Second it’s for parents to tell their girls not to be out past a certain hour no matter what people say about how times have changed
People don’t change. Nothing good happens after midnight. I heard that in the 1980s from my aunt who was a young adult in the 1930s
I could not argue with her point.
The last point is girls should not go out drinking heavily, regardless of what their peers say, not late and certainly not alone. Not in a college town
It’s not judgemental for me to read this story in order to find out what college girls should not do and use it as an example. Nice girls do go out and act unwise on occasion. This could have been the only time this girl went out alone or tried to get home alone. It is late at night. No way to argue that
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