Crime & Safety

Report: Woman Who Jumped From Bridge Was Missing Pharmacy Student

Reports say 25-year-old pharmacy resident left her purse, ID and car behind.

UPDATE (Dec. 23, 2011 @ 4 p.m.): The coroner has positively identified a body found on Sullivan's Island as that of Tosin Oyelowo.

UPDATE (Dec. 16, 2011 @ 3 p.m.): Second police report offers more details on bridge-jumping case as multiple agencies continue to search the water for Olutosin "Tosin" Oyelowo.

The original story follows:

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The woman who reportedly jumped from the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge on Friday was a 25-year-old MUSC student, according to police reports and various online articles.

Olutosin "Tosin" Oyelowo, a Nigerian national with roots in Wake Forest, NC, was last seen by motorists and pedestrians leaping from the Bridge, a Mount Pleasant police report states.

Find out what's happening in Mount Pleasantwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Calls reporting the jumping were received around 3:30 p.m. on Friday, according to reports. Police found Oyelowo's purse and driver's license at the summit of the bridge in the area where callers reported seeing her jump.

Police located Oyelowo's 2007 Toyota Yaris at a convenience store in Mount Pleasant where many pedestrians park to walk along the bridge's pedestrian path.

Water searches for Oyelowo by Mount Pleasant and Charleston police, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard, have not been successful in the days since the jumping was reported.

MUSC reported Oyelowo, a first-year pharmacy resident, missing when she did not report for work on Monday, said Heather Woolwine, university spokeswoman.

"We were concerned for her safety," Woolwine said. "When we couldn't reach her, we contacted police, and now it's really more in their hands."

Several websites list Oyelowo as being "missing" in South Carolina since Dec. 9. Though Mount Pleasant's police report lists the identity, confirmed by the driver's license in her purse and documents in her parked car, Charleston police have not released the jumper's name.

"We won’t know the identity of the person who jumped until the body is recovered," said Charles Francis, police spokesman.


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