Officials identify body of man found along I-77 in Chester County

CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — Investigators are working to determine how Thomas Rhoad, 29, of Chester died after his body was found early Monday morning along Interstate-77 in Chester County.

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One lane of the highway near the 69-mile marker was shut down as the South Carolina State Highway Patrol, Chester County deputies and firefighters canvassed the scene.

Richburg Fire and Rescue was the first on the scene.

"At that point, there was nothing that could be done,” Assistant Fire Chief T. Melton said. “All we could do was protect the crime scene because that's what we had to treat it as," Melton said.

There's no word on the cause of death, but firefighters told Channel 9's South Carolina bureau reporter Greg Suskin that they didn't find a vehicle near the body.

Chester County Coroner Terry Tinker said the body had been there since Sunday night, and it's not clear how it got there.

Investigators don't believe he was hit by a car and there were no obvious signs of injury.

The coroner told Channel 9 it will likely be Wednesday before there's an autopsy to try and determine how the man died.

Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.

Cox Media Group