SC deputies find body of man reported missing

GASTON, S.C. (AP) — The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the death of a Gaston man who had been reported missing a day before his body was found.

The sheriff’s office says the body of 68-year-old Edwin James Russell was found Saturday in the woods near his home. He had been shot in the head.

Russell was reported missing on Friday by his family. They told police Russell had walked away from his home Friday morning wearing old Marine Corps fatigues.

Investigators searched for Russell using a helicopter as well as all-terrain vehicles on the ground.

The Lexington County coroner’s office has planned an autopsy on the body Monday. Investigators hope to determine whether the gunshot was self-inflicted.