Sad end to search for missing South Carolina man, according to coroner

The search for a missing South Carolina man came to an end Wednesday night when his body was discovered inside a car that was submerged in a Midlands creek, the Saluda County Coroner’s Office said.

Nolan Ridge, a 25-year-old Saluda County resident, was found dead at the scene, the coroner’s office said in a Thursday news release.

Earlier Wednesday, before the body was discovered, Ridge was reported missing by the Saluda County Sheriff’s Office. He was last seen Sunday when he left his home and was driving a 2012 Jaguar to Batesburg, according to the sheriff’s office.

Ridge never arrived at his intended destination.

Nolan Ridge was reported missing by the Saluda County Sheriff’s Office. Saluda County Sheriff’s Office

On Wednesday night, the coroner’s office said it responded to a single-vehicle collision on Beulah Road near the West Creek bridge. That’s in the area between U.S. 178 and U.S. 378, not far from Lake Murray.

No cause of death was released, but an autopsy has been scheduled for later this week, according to the coroner’s office.

The car appeared to have run off the left side of the road and crashed into the creek — submerging the vehicle, according to the coroner’s office.

Because of the weather conditions and water levels from record-setting amounts of rain the car was not located until Wednesday night, the coroner’s office said. Officials did not say if the weather was a factor in the crash, and information about what caused the car to veer off the road was not available.

In addition to the coroner’s office and sheriff’s office, the collision is being investigated by the South Carolina Highway Patrol. In addition to those agencies, the Newberry County Water Rescue and Dive Team also assisted at the scene, the coroner’s office said.

Through Tuesday, 142 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 999 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least one person has died in a Saluda County crash in 2024, according to DPS data. There were six deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS reported.