Lexington County coroner reveals what killed woman whose body was found by I-20
The Lexington County Coroner’s Office has determined what killed the 22-year-old Columbia woman whose body was recently found on the shoulder of Interstate 20.
An autopsy at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston showed Stephanie Chanel Quintana died of blunt force trauma resulting from being hit by a vehicle, Coroner Margaret Fisher said Monday night in a news release.
Fisher said the vehicle that hit Quintana has not been identified, and a search for the driver is being led by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
On Feb. 2, a passerby discovered Quintana’s body on a grassy shoulder of the westbound side I-20 at the 62 mile marker, according to Fisher. That’s in the Columbia area of Lexington County, not far from the Bush River Road exit.
The autopsy showed that Quintana was hit by the vehicle sometime after approximately 12:30 a.m. on Feb. 2, Fisher said.
Traffic was temporarily backed up during the morning commute as the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department investigated the scene.
Anyone with information about the hit-and-run crash is asked to call Highway Patrol at 803-737-8340 or 800-768-1501, the coroner’s office at 803-359-8439, or report it to CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
Through Jan. 15, 26 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 999 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least five people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 43 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS reported.
