Ohio teen murdered in SC, and her alleged killer, had just graduated from high school

An Ohio teenager strangled in her Myrtle Beach area hotel room Tuesday had just graduated from high school last month.

Tributes to the 18-year-old have flooded social media.

Natalie Martin was in the Myrtle Beach area on a senior trip at the time, a friend told The Sun News through a Facebook message.

Another Ohio teen charged with her murder was also on the trip.

A GoFundMe account to help pay for her funeral has been set up by her friend, Brooklyn Ferrell. The account has raised more than $26,000 as of Friday afternoon.

Another Ohio teen charged with her murder

Martin, of Roseville, Ohio, was identified Friday by the Horry County Coroner’s Office.

Blake William Linkous, also 18, of Blue Rock, was arrested by Horry County Police Department and charged with murder in Martin’s death. He remained in the J. Reuben Long Detention Center Friday without bond.

Linkous strangled Martin Tuesday, the arrest warrant stated. The coroner’s office said Martin was found unresponsive in her hotel room on Maison Drive.

The two had been a couple for several years

Martin and Linkous had been a couple for several years until recently, according to Ferrell.

The couple had broken up at the beginning of this year, but the two had remained friends, Ferrell said.

Both Martin and Linkous were students at Philo High School in Duncan Falls, Ohio. They graduated on May 26.

The two were in Myrtle Beach on a senior trip.

Ferrell was not with Martin on the trip. She instead was on another senior trip in Florida.

Efforts to find contact information for Martin’s family were unsuccessful.

School has offered counselors for students and community

The Myrtle Beach senior trip was not sanctioned by the school, according to Superintendent Kacey Cottrill of the Franklin Local School District.

However, it’s not uncommon for seniors in area schools to go to Myrtle Beach as a group, according to Philo High School Principal Troy Dawson.

Cottrill said Friday there will be counselors at Philo High School for students or those in the community. Counselors will be there Friday and Monday and Tuesday of next week, Dawson said.

“We are looking for best ways to help our kids,” Dawson said. “There isn’t a manual that tells you the best way to handle these things.”

Dawson said the school had received confirmation about Martin’s death Thursday.

“It’s hard for us to wrap our head around,” he said Friday.

The school district where the high school is located only has about 2,000 students, Cottrill said. He described the community as tight-knit, which made Martin’s death particularly tragic.

“It’s pretty much devastating for all of us,” Cottrill said.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated to reflect that the hotel room is not in the city of Myrtle Beach. Updated 3:49 p.m.