- The University of South Carolina confirmed Saturday that one of its students had died after going missing Friday.
- Police in Columbia, South Carolina, had issued a missing person alert for 21-year-old Samantha Josephson Friday evening after she was last seen getting into a car early that morning near campus.
- Student newspaper the Daily Gamecock reported Saturday that Josephson's friends believe she got into a car she mistook for the rideshare she had ordered.
A University of South Carolina student who went missing Friday has been confirmed dead less than a day after police began investigating her early-morning disappearance.
University President Harris Pastides wrote in a statement released Saturday morning that the school was mourning 21-year-old Samantha Josephson after her death.
"Times like these leave me searching for words of wisdom and comfort," Pastides wrote. "However, I take solace that the Carolina Family is here to embrace those who are hurting."
The Columbia Police Department first announced a missing persons alert for Josephsen Friday night, saying in a tweet that the student's friends and family had been unable to reach her.
Josephsen was last seen around 1:30 Friday morning on a street nearby the school's Columbia, South Carolina campus.
Police also tweeted a photo of a black car that Josephsen was believed to have gotten into after 2 a.m.
Cont’d: Special Victims Unit investigators believe that shortly after 2:00 a.m., Josephson was seen getting into this newer model Chevy Impala along Harden Street. Family & friends have been trying to locate her ever since. Again, call @MidlandsCrime 1-888-CRIME-SC w/your tips. pic.twitter.com/3211Wjx6PK
— Columbia Police Dept (@ColumbiaPDSC) March 30, 2019
School newspaper the Daily Gamecock reported, citing a friend of Josephson's, that she left a bar alone around 2 a.m. and got into a car that her friends believe she mistook for an Uber she ordered.
In the Saturday morning statement, Pastides told students to "remember the tenets of Stand Up Carolina: look out for one another, be active bystanders. Travel in groups and stay together." The president also encouraged students to download the school's RAVE Guardian Safety App.
In addition to President Pastides' statement, Josephson's father posted an emotional tribute to his daughter on Facebook, writing that "Samantha is no longer with us but she will not be forgotten."
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: Aston Martin's new fully-electric Lagonda could be the future of SUVs