Sheridan Wahl’s cause of death is “inconclusive” according to Florence County Coroner Keith von Lutcken.
Courtesy of Sheridan Wahl’s Facebook page
By Isaiah Sterling
Sheridan Wahl, a 21-year-old USF student, was found dead behind a fire department in Pamplico, S.C., authorities reported on Sept. 21.
According to a police report, Wahl was reported missing around midnight on Sept. 19, several hours after a FaceTime call with her mother, Kelly DeArment Wahl.
During their phone call, Wahl was denied service for not wearing shoes outside a scooter rental business in the 300 block of South Ocean Boulevard near Myrtle Beach.
Wahl informed her mother she would be returning home, but Kelly advised her to stay in South Carolina for the night to avoid the overnight drive back to Florida.
This was the last time Kelly spoke to her daughter. All future attempts to contact Wahl by phone went to voicemail.
According to Kelly, her daughter had traveled to South Carolina to visit her father who lives in Myrtle Beach, but never showed up to his home.
Kelly asked for help finding Wahl on Facebook on Sept. 20.
“Please help me find my daughter. Last seen at 300 S. Ocean in Myrtle Beach. We haven’t heard from her since 1 p.m. and her phone is not picking up. She could have been driving back from Myrtle Beach to Tampa. Let me know if anyone has seen her. Otherwise please pray she comes home to us safely!” Kelly wrote in the post.
Wahl’s body was discovered the next day behind the Hanna-Salem Fire Department, nearly 50 miles from where she was reported missing.
According to the Florence County Sheriff’s office, Wahl’s Toyota Corolla was found burned in a ditch approximately 10 miles away from the fire department.
Kelly announced the passing of her daughter on Facebook.
“We are heartbroken beyond belief to share the news that our beloved Sheridan Lynne Wahl has passed,” Kelly wrote in the post. “Sheridan was our cherished and loving daughter, sister, niece and friend. She will be missed more than words can ever express.”
Wahl’s cause of death was recorded as “inconclusive” after an autopsy at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, according to Florence County Coroner Keith von Lutcken.
“The manner and cause of death in the Sheridan Wahl case is pending additional postmortem studies and investigation at this time,” von Lutcken wrote in an email.
A GoFundMe page was created by Wahl’s roommate, Elizabeth Echenique, to help cover funeral expenses.
“Please help me to raise money for her family to have a memorial and funeral for this beautiful soul that has gone too soon,” Echenique wrote on the page.
Assistant Director of Media Relations Althea Johnson said the Dean of Students office encourages students impacted by the loss of an individual to seek mental health counseling available through on-campus resources.
Johnson said the university hosts a service every January to remember students who were enrolled at the time of their passing.
The names of the deceased are engraved on a memorial wall located on Crescent Hill behind the Marshall Student Center.
If you have any additional information about the Sheridan Wahl case, contact the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division at (803)-737-9000.
