On Friday, at approximately 7:30 p.m. a citizen called in to report that they had discovered what they believed to be human skeletal remains in a drainage ditch near the 200 block of Saturn Parkway in Columbia in Lexington County.

A City of Columbia Police officer was first to arrive on scene and subsequently called the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies came to the scene and then notified the Lexington County Coroner’s Office and Coroner Margaret Fisher responded along with several Deputy Coroners.

The coroner then confirmed that the remains found were that of a human. The remains were found in a drainage ditch in about two feet of water.

With the assistance of the Irmo Fire Department, the responting team was able to recover some of the remains that night.

The Lexington County Coroner’s Office, LCSD, along with the Lexington County Public Works Department and a local anthropologist came back to the scene Saturday to complete the recovery.

The anthropologist believed the skeletal remains to be that of a white male, older than age forty, with a thin build, and very tall with a height preliminarily believed to be 6’5” or taller.

The skeletal remains also revealed that the person has had previous ankle surgery to the right ankle and did not have any natural teeth. No dentures were found at the scene. No foul play is suspected at this time but an anthropologist will examine the skeletal remains more thoroughly on Tuesday, to hopefully provide more details about the person.

The Lexington County Coroner’s Office is asking the public to call the office with any information they may have as to the identity of this person. The Lexington County Coroner’s Office is closed on Monday, January 3, 2022, and will re-open at 08:30 on Tuesday, January 4, 2022. Please call between the office hours of 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m..

The Lexington County Coroner’s Office continues to investigate.