Unidentified Caucasian Man Found Near Old Bamberg Courthouse; SLED Leads Investigation

An unidentified Caucasian male was discovered near the old Bamberg County Courthouse on Saturday, Feb. 15, the Bamberg County Coroner’s Office confirmed, and state investigators from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are now leading the probe. The coroner’s office said additional details will be released after an autopsy is completed.

Bamberg Police Chief Regina Gatling told investigators that a person walking a dog at the courthouse located the man Saturday morning. "A person walking their dog at the Bamberg County Courthouse discovered a man’s body there on Saturday morning, according to Bamberg Police Chief Regina Gatling," Chief Gatling said in a statement provided to local authorities.

Officials described the remains as an "unidentified Caucasian male" and emphasized there is no identity or cause of death available until the coroner completes the autopsy. "A body was discovered near the old Bamberg County Courthouse over the weekend, according to the Bamberg County Coroner’s Office," county officials wrote in their initial briefing.

Investigative command has shifted to SLED at the request of the Bamberg County Sheriff’s Office, and multiple state and local agencies assisted at the scene. "SLED has now taken the lead in the investigation at the request of the Bamberg County Sheriff's Office," investigators confirmed, and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Denmark Fire Department, and the Bamberg County Coroner's Office were recorded as assisting responders.

Some reports describe the discovery differently, and investigators have not yet reconciled those accounts. Authorities said, "while doing a joint investigation into a missing person with assistance from SLED the remains were found in the vehicle," and separate responding records indicate human remains were located in a burned vehicle on a different day. Local officials have not confirmed whether the vehicle reports refer to the same discovery at the courthouse, and the coroner and SLED have been asked to clarify location and timeline.

The Bamberg County Coroner’s Office will release identity and cause of death following the autopsy. For immediate follow up or to provide information, contact Bamberg County law enforcement or the local reporter who first relayed the dog-walker account, Martha Rose Brown, at mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5545; her X handle is @MRBrownTandD. This office will update the public when the coroner’s findings and an investigative case number are available.