Missing 74-year-old bicyclist is found dead at bottom of embankment, SC officials say
A missing bicyclist was found dead Wednesday after he didn’t return home from a bike ride in Upstate South Carolina, according to multiple news outlets.
The body of 74-year-old Leslie Joseph Marella Jr. was found at the bottom of an embankment in a wooded area along Callahan Mountain Road in Greenville County, WSPA reported, citing the coroner’s office. Officials estimate Marella died around 10 a.m.
A group that searched for him when he didn’t come home discovered Marella’s body that afternoon “in an area ... that was not easily visible from the road,” according to WHNS.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials said there’s no evidence suggesting Marella was struck by a car or another object while he was riding, WYFF reported. An official cause of death hasn’t been released but is expected Thursday, Greenville County Senior Deputy Coroner Kent Dill told McClatchy News.
The incident continues to be investigated.
This story was originally published October 7, 2021 at 4:26 PM with the headline "Missing 74-year-old bicyclist is found dead at bottom of embankment, SC officials say."