Samantha Josephson 'murder': US student, 21, found dead after mistakenly getting into car she thought was an Uber

Victim: Samantha Josephson
Columbia Police Department
Hatty Collier31 March 2019
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US police are investigating the murder of a student who was found dead in a field after she got into a car that she had mistaken for her Uber ride.

Samantha Josephson, 21, became separated from her roommates during a night out in Columbia, South Carolina, police said.

She got into a black Chevy Impala thinking it was her booked Uber and 14 hours later, her body was found by turkey hunters in a field 90 miles from Columbia.

A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of murder and kidnapping, police said. Columbia police chief W.H ‘Skip’ Holbrook named the suspect as 24-year-old Nathaniel David Rowland and said he was being held in jail.

Police do not believe the suspect is an Uber driver and think Ms Josephson mistakenly got into the car thinking it was the Uber she had booked.

Samantha Josephson, 21, is seen on the phone shortly before she disappeared
Columbia Police Department

"What we know now is that she had, in fact, summoned an Uber ride and was waiting for that Uber ride to come," Holbrook said, citing CCTV footage. "We believe that she simply mistakenly got into this particular car thinking it was an Uber ride."

He went on: “Our hearts are broken, they're broken. There is nothing tougher than to stand before a family and explain how a loved one was murdered."

Her father Seymour paid tribute to his daughter. He posted an image of them together on Facebook and wrote: “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.”

Her college tutor Daniella Jaimes described Ms Josephson, from New Jersey as a "dedicated student with big dreams".

Ms Josephson’s friends, who she had been out with on Thursday evening and into the early hours of Friday morning, contacted police at 1.30pm on Friday when they had not heard from her.

Suspect: Nathaniel Rowland
Columbia Police Department

Turkey hunters found a body two and a half hours later in a wooded area in Clarendon Country, south-east of Columbia, Holbrook said. The body was identified as that of Ms Josephson.

Police then searched for the car Ms Josephson had got into and at about 3am on Saturday when it was located, the driver got out of the car and fled from police but was quickly caught.

The car Ms Josephson is believed to have got into before she was killed
Columbia Police Department

Her mobile phone was discovered in the car along with liquid bleach, germicidal wipes and window cleaner, police said.

Police have not said how she died. They have asked anyone who has any recent experiences of someone trying to "entice" them into a rideshare vehicle in recent months to report it.

Uber’s online safety guidelines advise passengers to check that the licence plate, driver photo and named match the listing on the app before getting into the car.

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