Police believe student was killed after getting into wrong car while waiting for Uber

The moment Samantha Josephson got into a black Chevy Impala outside a bar at around 2am. Photo / Supplied

Police believe a 21-year-old South Carolina college student was murdered after she got into the wrong car thinking it was her Uber.

Samantha Josephson was last seen getting into a luxury late-model Chevy outside a bar in Five Points, Columbia, about 2am on Friday.

CCTV footage shows Josephson talking on the phone nearby crowds of revellers, before a car pulls up and she swiftly jumps into the back seat of the vehicle.

The last image of Josephson on the phone shortly before being picked up by the Chevy Impala. Photo / Supplied

Police now believe Josephson got into the Chevy, mistakenly thinking it was an Uber she had ordered. They suspect the driver, Nathaniel David Rowland, 24, brutally murdered her before dumping her body in the woods.

Her body was found dumped on the roadside by two turkey hunters, 14 hours after she disappeared.

Police said she had suffered numerous wounds on her head, neck, face, upper body, leg and foot.

"We believe … that she simply mistakenly got into this particular car thinking it was an Uber ride," Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said.

"She opened the door and got into it and departed with the suspect driving."

In chilling CCTV footage from moments before her disappearance, the college senior talks on the phone and waits on the corner surrounded by crowds of people in the bustling Five Points street.

Josephson with her father, Seymour Josephson. Photo / Supplied

Samantha Josephson was last seen getting into a luxury late-model Chevy outside a bar in Five Points, Columbia, about 2am on Friday. Photo / Supplied

The black Chevy Impala then pulls into a parking space in front of Josephson, who gets into the car. They then departed with the suspect driving, according to police.

Friends reported Josephson missing after she failed to return home to her student housing and didn't answer repeated phone calls.

Just a few hours after starting the missing person investigation, Clarendon County Sheriff's Department was called about a body found on a dirt road in a rural area. Police believed from the descriptions of the body and the clothing that the deceased was likely the missing student.

About the same time, Josephson's body was found, police released the suspect's vehicle information and photos of the victim. A patrolling officer recognised the Chevy and pulled over Rowland, about 3am the day after she'd disappeared.

Rowland tried to run on foot but was captured by police, according to Mr Holbrook.

They returned to the car where officers allegedly found damming evidence.

Rowland was arrested driving the Chevy Impala, police say. Photo / Supplied

They found Josephson's mobile phone on the back seat of the Chevy. They also saw what they believed to be blood throughout the car, and in the boot of the vehicle. They also discovered the child locks had been activated inside the car.

Police found bleach, germicidal cleaning wipes and window cleaner in the car.

Rowland was arrested and will be charged with kidnapping and murder. He declined to appear at his jail hearing yesterday.