Owen Kenney, Charleston, South Carolina student confirmed to be dead after police recover video evidence showing missing man committing suicide.
A 19 year old South Carolina student reported to have gone missing during the early morning hours of Halloween, has been confirmed dead.
According to a press release from the Charleston Police Department issued on Thursday, Nov. 6, recently recovered video evidence shows Owen Tillman Kenney, a student at the College of Charleston, ‘took his own life after walking onto the Ravenel Bridge pedestrian walkway’ at 3:49 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 31.
Body of Owen Tillman Kenney found after jumping to his death
Missing man spotted walking alone onto the Ravenel Bridge pedestrian walkway
Police have shifted from search operations to recovery efforts, noting that they will remain in close contact with the Kenney family as the search continues for the man’s body.
Our priority has always been and will remain Owen’s family. This is a real case involving a real family living through unimaginable pain, and they deserve compassion, privacy, and support from all of us,’ said Chief Chito Walker.
The update to the investigation comes shortly after the police department shared a photo of Kenney’s last sighting in an updated news release.
Detectives with the Charleston Police Department confirmed that Kenney was spotted walking alone onto the Ravenel Bridge pedestrian walkway shortly after 3 a.m. on Oct. 31.
While initial reports indicated he was wearing a Boston Celtics jersey as part of his Halloween costume, new evidence showed he was wearing a black hooded jacket, light-colored pants, and black Nike sneakers with white soles, People reported.
Why did College of Charleston student take his own life?
According to the news release, his cell phone’s last reported location was also on the Ravenel Bridge at around 3 a.m.
At the time of his disappearance, Kenny’s roommates who had attempted to track down the missing man said his phone was dead according to WCBD.
The Charleston Police Department said in a previous news release that his friends last saw him in the area of King Street and Burns Lane around 2 a.m. on Oct. 31. He was reported missing on Saturday, Nov. 1, according to a bulletin shared by the university.
During the search for Kenney, Charleston police deployed multiple resources, including K9 units, an underwater recovery team, the police’s unmanned aerial system team and harbor patrol.
Kenney graduated from Red Bank Catholic High School in Red Bank, N.J., in 2024, according to a Facebook post shared by the school.
According to The Monmouth Journal and The Post and Courier, citing a school spokesperson, he transferred to the College of Charleston in January 2025 and was in the middle of his second semester as a freshman.
Not immediately clear is what led to the young man taking his own life and what struggles and or trauma the student may have been struggling with before taking their own life.
