Horry coroner still refuses to release the name of the CCU student who died Sunday. Why?

The identification of a Coastal Carolina University student that was found dead in a dorm room Sunday night has not yet been released.

SLED is investigating the death of the student Sunday at the request of the University, SLED spokesperson Reneé Wunderlitch confirmed.

A press release will be sent out at a later time, the coroner’s office said.

Tamara Willard, Horry County Assistant Coroner, could not be reached for comment. Robert Edge, the Horry County Coroner, could not be reached by The Sun News either.

“It’s a disservice to the public to have an elected official, whose salary is paid by the public, who is required by law to perform an important task with respect to unattended deaths in the county refuse to provide information about a death, particularly when the death occurred on public property,” Jay Bender, a South Carolina lawyer specialized in media law, said.

At this time, there is no information on whether or not the University will hold a vigil.

Coastal Carolina University sent a release to students Monday about the death and advised students to contact counseling services at 843-349-2305.

This story was originally published November 30, 2022 at 1:25 PM.