GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said a death investigation is underway after a man’s body was found in a parking lot Wednesday morning.
Deputies received a 911 call at 8:20 a.m. after a body was found in a parking lot by a bystander. Deputies responded to the parking lot of Hanover Mortgage, located at 2502 Wade Hampton Blvd.
“When our deputies arrived there on scene they discovered that the gentlemen was deceased suffered from some sort of injury to his body,” said Lt. Ryan Flood, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. “From what we understand, it was employees who were arriving to work that morning, they discovered the body and then called 911 immediately.”
Flood said the victim is not affiliated with Hanover Mortgage. One man said seeing the body was a complete shock.
“I was asking my friend if he thought it was a dead body, kind of joking and then it was kind of shocking to realize that there was really a dead body maybe 100 feet away from us,” said Jose Cruz, witness.
Officials believe the man was killed some time overnight. It’s unknown how the man died or ended up in the parking lot.
“So as to how it occurred, we just don’t know at this time. A lot of that is going to be pending the autopsy, but we do believe that he was killed at sometime over the course of the night,” Flood said.
One man said he crossed the parking lot for work, and saw nothing.
“It’s kind of scary because I go through that parking lot every morning at 5:20 and I did this morning, and I didn’t look down that direction, but I don’t know what time the guy passed away, it’s kind of scary, it’s right next door,” said Jeffrey Alberecht, resident.
Alberecht lives in the InTown Suites next door.
“I didn’t hear anything. I go to sleep early because I get up at 4:00 in the morning, so I’m usually in bed by 8 or 8:30. I didn’t hear anything out of the normal,” Alberecht said.
Now people hope answers can be found quickly.
“It’s a really nice neighborhood. It’s random, really random that it happened here of all places,” Cruz said. “I grew up around here, so you don’t want stuff like that happening in your backyard,” he said.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. He has been identified by the coroner’s office as 30-year-old Jeffrey Charles Grant, of Easley.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Greenville at 23-CRIME.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy has been scheduled for Thursday.
