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.
Quentin, Murph’s cousin, was taken aback by the site where the truck was found, and the two bodies were discovered, as it was not along the route to their intended destination to his aunt’s house.
Evidence, the corner proposed, suggests that the truck was stuck in mud, and Murph had tried several times unsuccessfully to free it. Porth believes the situation escalated when a grass fire ignited due to the friction from Murph’s multiple efforts to extricate the vehicle from the mud.
“In my opinion, the car actually started the grass fire probably about 10:30 p.m., but unfortunately, when the car fire was extinguished, I think that’s when they became urgent to get out,” the coroner hypothesized.
Adding, “I feel like they were walking together, and unfortunately, he being heavier than she is, he sank into the mud, and the more you struggle, the deeper you go.”
Officials do not believe the death was caused by foul play but are waiting to see if toxicology results add anything to their investigation into the death.
The public viewing for the father and daughter duo was held on Friday, Dec. 29, from 12 – 6 p.m., two weeks after their deaths.
Funeral services for them will be held at 11 a.m. on Dec. 30 at Simmons Funeral Home and Crematory Chapel in Orangeburg, South Carolina, according to their online obituaries.
