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In South Carolina, a search is underway for a 19-year-old college student who vanished close to his residence on Halloween night and failed to return home.
The Charleston Police Department reported that Owen Tillman Kenney was last observed entering the pedestrian path on the Ravenel Bridge shortly after 3 a.m. Initially, it was believed he wore a Boston Celtics jersey, but authorities later clarified that he was dressed in a black hooded jacket, light-colored trousers, and black Nike sneakers with white soles. Kenney, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 155 pounds, is enrolled at the College of Charleston.
Police confirmed that the last known signal from Kenney’s phone was traced to the Ravenel Bridge area.
In a Facebook update, Kenney’s family expressed their concern, noting that he was mere minutes away from home but never arrived. They mentioned that the Boston Celtics jersey was part of his Halloween costume and suggested he might have been wearing a black zip-up hoodie.
Owen Kenney was last spotted on the pedestrian walkway of the Ravenel Bridge. (Charleston Police Department)
Owen Kenney went missing in the early hours of Oct. 31. (Charleston Police Department)
“We want Owen to come home,” his mother wrote on Facebook.
A spokesperson for the College of Charleston told The Post and Courier that Kenney transferred to the institution in January and is a freshman from Tinton Falls, New Jersey.
The College of Charleston said in a Facebook post it’s working with authorities to locate Kenney. In a campus advisory, the college said there’s “no reason to believe that there is any danger to the campus community in relation to this case.”
Owen Kenney was wearing a Boston Celtics jersey on the night he went missing. (Charleston Police Department)
Kenney’s roommates told WCBD they tried tracking his phone, but it was dead when he disappeared.
Julie, a resident on a nearby street, told the outlet, “I was totally shocked.”
“I was walking my dog yesterday, and I saw some girls putting up this sign behind me,” she added. “And when I spoke with them, they didn’t even know the student. They had just heard and were concerned. So, I think everybody in the community is really concerned that this is such an unusual thing to happen.”
Owen Kenney recently transferred to the College of Charleston. (Charleston Police Department)
Holland Cartmill, a student at the College of Charleston, said there’s a “really eerie” feeling on campus after Kenney’s disappearance.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s definitely scary. And I just really pray that this doesn’t happen again,” Cartmill said.
The Charleston Police Department said it’s working with the FBI and New Jersey State Police to locate Kenney.
Anyone with information about Kenney’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Charleston Police Department at 843-720-2422 or send a tip via www.charleston-sc.gov/tips.