The investigation continued today into a body found Saturday in an abandoned building in Florence.
The coroner's office tentatively identified the body as that of 17-year-old Jeremiah Jenkins, who went missing Aug. 6
.
An initial missing person report stated someone drove Jenkins to a local hotel, where he got in the car of another person who was waiting for him there.
That's where the information, stopped.
Jenkins' family says they didn't see or hear from the rising high school senior since that day.
Saturday night, police received an anonymous call alerting them to a body in the old Heafner tires building on Irby street.
Florence County Coroner Bubba Matthews says a pathologist found the body was consistent with the body of a 17-year-old black male, and he was wearing the same clothing and jewelry that Jenkins was wearing, the day he disappeared.
Matthews says an autopsy concluded someone stabbed the person several times, and beat the person severely in the head.
Though the coroner's office tentatively identified the body as that of the missing teen, it is not yet conclusive.
Today, the State Law Enforcement Division worked to identify DNA samples from the body, that would definitively show whether or not it was Jenkins.
Coroner Matthews says authorities are also working with dental records, and have found the body had a similar dental history to that of Jenkins.
Matthews says that Jenkins' dental record showed that he had a couple of teeth pulled, and the pathologist found that the body discovered Saturday, was also missing those same teeth.
As far as the investigation goes and the search for a killer, Florence Police say they're working leads and searching for a suspect.
Jenkins' family did not want to comment on the matter unless there is a definite identification of the body.
Matthews says the DNA analysis could take two to three days.
Count on News13, the Morning News and scnow.com to bring you the latest details as they become available.
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