The tragic story of Owen Tillman Kenney, a 19-year-old College of Charleston student, has come to a sorrowful conclusion. After disappearing near his home in South Carolina on Halloween, his body was found Saturday morning, having taken his own life, as confirmed by police.
Kenney’s body was located in the waters near Patriots Point around 8:45 a.m., following an intense search that lasted several days. The Charleston Police Department spearheaded the effort to find the young man.
Charleston Police Chief Chito Walker expressed gratitude for the communal effort in the search, stating, “I would like to thank everyone who took part in the effort to get Owen back to his family.” He added, “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.”
Kenney, originally from Tinton Falls, New Jersey, was last seen by his friends at approximately 2 a.m. on October 31, near King Street and Burns Lane. This location is just a short distance from his residence, as his grief-stricken family noted earlier this week in a Facebook statement.
Police investigations revealed that Kenney was seen on surveillance footage walking alone onto the Ravenel Bridge pedestrian walkway shortly after 3 a.m., roughly three miles from where he was last seen. His phone’s last signal was detected in the same vicinity at that time.
Police said Kenney was captured on surveillance footage walking alone onto the Ravenel Bridge pedestrian walkway – about three miles from where he was last spotted – shortly after 3 a.m., and his phone last pinged from the same area around that time.
Nearly a week into the search, investigators announced they were shifting to recovery efforts after video evidence showed the teen died by suicide on the bridges’ walkway at 3:49 a.m., police said.
Kenney graduated from New Jersey’s Red Bank Catholic High School in 2024 before attending the College of Charleston.
“There are no words that can ease the pain of losing someone so young and so full of promise,” College of Charleston President Andrew T. Hsu said in a statement on Saturday, ABC News reported.
“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. We have encouraged students who have been impacted to seek support through the Counseling Center.”
Hsu said counseling resources are free and confidential.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
