A man has been accused of killing a woman who got into his car thinking it was her Uber ride home, activating the child locks so she could not escape the car.
South Carolina political science student Samantha Josephson was enjoying a night out with friends when she decided to go home via Uber. CCTV footage shared by Columbia PD on Twitter from the night showed Samantha standing on the curb waiting for her rideshare driver to arrive.
Samantha is then seen getting into a black Chevrolet Impala sedan she thought was her Uber. When her actual Uber arrived, it left after a few minutes when the driver couldn’t find her. Hours later, Samantha’s body was found by hunters dumped in bushland in nearby Claredon County.
Samantha’s father Seymour Josephson confirmed his daughter’s death in a Facebook post on Saturday, writing, “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. Samantha is no longer with us but she will not be forgotten.”
“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.”
Police were first alerted to the New Jersey student’s disappearance when her friends called 911 after they realised she hadn’t made it home, The New York Post reports.
Nathaniel David Rowland, 24, has been arrested on charges of murder and kidnapping in connection with Josephson’s death, Columbia Police Chief W.H. Holbrook said. He is being held in jail in Columbia.
A Go Fund Me has been set up to help Samantha’s family cover her funeral expenses.
