A Richland County man and his daughter were found dead off the side of a South Carolina road, not far from Interstate 26, last week. Autopsy results conducted by the Calhoun County coroner were inconclusive, but it is believed they succumbed to hypothermia.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that Jason Murph, 42, and his 6-year-old daughter, Michelle Murph, were found 50 to 100 yards from their truck near exit 136 off Interstate 26 on Monday, Dec. 18.
The two left his home in Blythewood on a trip to visit Murph’s mother in Orangeburg, 60 miles away, but were reported missing on Saturday, Dec. 16.
Their bodies were discovered by Orangeburg County’s K-9 unit, another department assisting with the search.
Calhoun County Coroner Donnie Porth, who could not determine a definitive cause of death, said in an interview with News19 that “the elements” most likely contributed to their premature demise.
“It wasn’t below freezing by no means, but because of the wind and the rain, they become extremely cold, and I think it became an urgency for them to try to find help and try to find shelter,” he said.
Richland County deputies are spearheading the investigation.
One bit of evidence they discovered was surveillance video from an Exxon gas station that captured Murph’s silver Toyota Tundra pickup truck driving through around 7 p.m. on the night he went missing.
According to statements provided by Murph’s estranged wife, who last spoke with him on the phone around 8 p.m. on the night of the disappearance, RCSD believes the man was in an accident in his pickup truck and was walking with his daughter looking for help.
The wife also told police that she heard her daughter yelling in the background before her husband hung up the phone. He never picked back up after their call ended.
She also said that according to the incident report, Murph was lost and was trying to figure out where he was.
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