Oh wow, where to even start with this? It’s like, I sit down to write about underrated college towns—which are a vibe, by the way—and somehow end up on this heavy story about a missing student. Not exactly what I planned, but here we are.
So, there was this heartbreaking update coming out of Columbia, SC, and, no joke, it’s been on my mind. Earlier in May, the cops, doing their thing, found a body in the Congaree River. Turns out, it was Donaven Dempsey, a kid from the University of South Carolina. Just disappeared, poof, after heading out from Spartanburg. Imagine that.
Folks from the sheriff’s team say they got the call on a Sunday—at the river, where the water’s kinda eerie. There’s something about hearing first responders heading downstream… the thought just stays with you, right?
No foul play, they say. But it still gnaws at me. Like, sure, no foul play, but details? Zip. Makes you think about what really happened, if anything can ever tell the whole story.
And Dempsey, it seems he’s been carrying a lot since losing his mom. It’s those quiet struggles, ya know? They’re the sneakiest. University folks? Still radio silence.
Anyway, I find myself just hoping his family finds some peace. Life’s unpredictable. One minute, you’re reading about cozy college towns and the next, you’re knee-deep in something as complex as this. Guess that’s life, though. Unpredictable. Endlessly.
