FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — No charges will be filed in the death of a missing Florida student who was found dead at a Florence County fire station, according to a letter sent to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division by 12th Circuit Solicitor Ed Clements.
The solicitor’s office said it will not seek charges in the death of Sheridan Wahl and declared the death as “accidental by fall,” according to the letter, dated April 12.
“I find there is no prosecutorial merit to this case due to her death being caused by an accidental fall,” the letter reads. “There was no evidence of foul play. You may close your file.”
Wahl — a student from Tampa, Florida, who was reported missing after traveling to Myrtle Beach to visit family — was dropped off at a fire station before her death due to “erratic” behavior, according to Florence County Coroner Keith von Lutcken.
Wahl, 21, was dropped off at the Hannah-Salem Friendfield Fire Department along Highway 378 by a man who picked her up near Keith Lane, where her crashed car was found burned. Lutcken couldn’t go into detail about what the behavior was, but told News13 investigators tracked down a witness who told them that.
Investigators did take statements from the driver who dropped her off, Lutcken said. No other information about the driver was provided.
Wahl’s body was found Sept. 21, 2021 at the base of the department’s training tower, Lutcken said. The tower is located at the back of the facility. Her body was found about 10 miles from where her car was found.
Lutcken said Wahl’s body was at the base of the tower for approximately 18 hours. He said the cause was undetermined because there is a 24-hour hole in the timeline of events.
Wahl’s toxicology report showed no illicit drugs or anything of concern in her bloodstream, Lutcken said. He also said there were only minor signs of external injuries and most of the injuries were internal due to a fall.
It was previously reported that Wahl was last seen trying to rent a scooter from Myrtle Beach without any shoes on and was denied service.
The manner of death can be changed if new information becomes available, Lutcken said.
In September, Wahl’s father posted on Facebook asking for donations to a mental health charity in her memory.
