Nathaniel David Rowland has been arrested in relation to the murder of Samantha Josephson in Columbia, South Carolina, on March 29. Rowland was driving the black Chevy Impala that police had said Josephson was believed to have entered around the time she was last seen. Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrookstold the media that Josephson’s blood was found in the Impala’s backseat as well as her cell phone in addition to a bottle of bleach.
Josephson was last seen in the Five Points neighborhood at around 2 a.m. on March 29. Surveillance footage showed that she appeared to be waiting for an Uber car ride home. The University of South Carolina student had been out with friends but had gotten separated. It was not until the following afternoon when Josephson’s friends raised the alarm that she was missing.
Josephson’s father, Seymour, confirmed his daughter’s tragic death in a Facebook post on the morning of March 30 that read, “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 body was found around 65 miles southeast of where she was last seen. Josephson was 21 years old and was due to graduate in May.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. After Josephson Went Missing, Rowland Wrote on His Facebook Page: ‘It’s Only One ME. I Just Make it Look Easy’
Facebook/Nathaniel Rowland
Less than 24 hours before his arrest was announced, Rowland posted on his Facebook page, “It’s only one ME. I just make it look easy until u step in dese ?.” As commenters flooded Rowland’s page with hateful messages, one friend of the suspect’s referred to him as a “good kid” but said that he “didn’t look right” in his mugshot.
Columbia Police DepartmentNathaniel Rowland’s mugshot.
According to his Facebook page, Rowland is a native of Brooklyn, New York, and now lives in Columbia, South Carolina. Rowland says he studied at SC State University and that he is the CEO of DYMOO/PYNK DYMOO. On one photo on his page, Rowland is shown in front of what appears to be a black Chevy Impala:
Facebook/Nate Rowland
2. A Woman Was in Rowland’s Car With Him When He Was Arrested at 3 a.m. on March 30
Chief Holbrook said that Rowland was arrested in the Five Points neighborhood at around 3 a.m. on March 30. A K-9 officer had been alerted to the suspect’s car, a black Chevy Impala. When the officer approached the vehicle, authorities say Rowland fled the scene on foot. He was eventually apprehended. The Post and Courier’s Andy Shain reports that there was a woman in the car with Rowland at the time of his arrest, she has been described as a friend of the suspect and is co-operating with the investigation.
3. Chief Holbrook Said That Josephson’s Body Was Discovered in a ‘Very Rural’ Part of South Carolina
Mug shot released from @ColumbiaPDSC in now “homicide” investigation in the death of @UofSC student Samantha Josephson who went missing from Five Points. #News @WLTX
Chief Skip Holbrook told the media on March 30 Josephson’s body was found at 3:45 a.m. in a wooded area in Clarendon County, South Carolina. The chief said that Josephson’s body was discovered in a “very rural” part of Clarendon County along Black Bottom Road close to the town of New Zion. Josephson’s body was found by hunters. Authorities say that Rowland formerly lived in the area. Rowland’s brother lists New Zion ashes hometown on Facebook. Rowland attended East Clarendon High School where he played as a guard on the school’s basketball team. Rowlans graduated in 2012.
Rowland had the child safety locks on the backdoors of the car, making escape impossible. A child’s baby seat was also in the back of the car. Chief Holbrook said that Rowland is expected to be charged with murder and kidnapping. Online records show that Rowland was booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention center on March 30. He is listed as being 24 years old and weighing 160 pounds.
4. Samantha Josephson Aspired to Go on to Work for the United Nations
Facebook/Samantha Josephson
Samantha was a senior at the University of South Carolina where she was studying political science and would have graduated in May. Next year, Samantha was due to go to law school at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Samantha’s sister, Sydney, is a student at Drexel. Samantha’s mother said in a December 2018 Facebook post that her daughter had been accepted into Rutgers Law School. In early 2018, Samantha spent a semester studying in Barcelona.
Samantha, a native of the Robbinsville Township in New Jersey, was a graduate of Robbinsville High School’s class of 2015.
Facebook/Robbinsville Township
On Twitter, one of Samantha’s lecturers at USC, @DanielaJlop, said that she taught the victim for two semesters and added that Samantha had wanted to become a lawyer and then go on to work for the United Nations.
Facebook/Marci JosephsonThe victim, Samantha Josephson, was 21 years old.
Anybody with any information regarding the case is asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. When Samantha was last seen, she was wearing a bright orange blouse and black jeans. Chief Holbrook said that Josephson “mistakenly got into this car thinking it was an Uber ride.”
5. A GoFundMe Page Has Been Set Up to Help Samantha’s Family Deal With Funeral Expenses
Twitter/Samantha JosephsonA police handout of a photo of Josephson on the night she disappeared.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Samantha’s family to deal with funeral expenses. That page referred to Samantha as “a beloved daughter, sister and friend that will forever be remembered in our hearts.” The page also says, “Let’s quickly come together as a community and try to help the Josephson family. Rest In Peace, Sami.” At the time of writing, the page has surpassed its goal of $5,000.
In his press conference, Chief Holbrook told the media that he had met with Josephson’s family on March 30. The chief said, “I met with the family… their hearts are broken. There is nothing tougher than to stand before a family and explain how a loved one was murdered they have a lot of support here, but it was gut-wrenching words can’t describe what they are going through.”
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