Body of Missing College of Charleston Student Owen Tillman Kenney Found After Apparent Suicide on Ravenel Bridge Pathway

The body of Owen Tillman Kenney, a 19-year-old College of Charleston student who disappeared on Halloween, was found Saturday morning following an extensive search by police and volunteers. Authorities confirmed that Kenney died by suicide after walking alone along the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in Charleston, South Carolina.

According to the Charleston Police Department, Kenney’s body was discovered around 8:45 a.m. near Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, bringing a heartbreaking end to the days-long search. “I would like to thank everyone who took part in the effort to get Owen back to his family,” said Charleston Police Chief Chito Walker in a statement. “We hope this recovery brings some measure of closure to a family experiencing unimaginable loss. We ask that everyone continue to respect the privacy of the Kenney family during this difficult time.”

Police said the discovery came days after they announced the search had shifted to a recovery mission based on surveillance footage showing Kenney on the Ravenel Bridge pedestrian walkway in the early hours of October 31. The video reportedly captured him walking alone shortly after 3 a.m., and his phone last pinged in the same area. Less than an hour later, investigators confirmed, Kenney died by suicide.

19-year-old Owen Kenney took his own life on Halloween.

Kenney, originally from Tinton Falls, New Jersey, was last seen by friends around 2 a.m. near King Street and Burns Lane, just minutes from his home in downtown Charleston. He was reported missing the following day, November 1, after friends and family were unable to reach him.

A graduate of Red Bank Catholic High School in Red Bank, New Jersey, Kenney had transferred to the College of Charleston in January 2024 and was in the middle of his second semester as a freshman, according to The Post and Courier and The Monmouth Journal.

In a statement shared by the College, President Andrew T. Hsu expressed condolences to the Kenney family and the campus community: “There are no words that can ease the pain of losing someone so young and so full of promise. Now is the time to surround his family with love, to support the friends and classmates who are grieving, and to remind each other that no one in our campus family carries this weight alone.” Hsu also encouraged students affected by the tragedy to seek support through the university’s Counseling Center.

Authorities have not released additional details about what may have led to Kenney’s death. His family, friends, and classmates are mourning a young man remembered for his kindness and potential, as the Charleston community continues to grapple with the devastating loss.