Man left work but never made it home, SC official says. Here’s what happened
The search for a South Carolina man who recently went missing after leaving his job at a Dollar General store ended when his body was discovered Saturday night, according to the Oconee County Coroner’s Office.
A deputy with the Oconee County Sheriff’s Department found the remains of 39-year-old Salem resident Bryan Alexander De Vries near an Upstate road at about 7:20 p.m. Saturday, the coroner’s office said in a news release.
His death is being investigated as a fatal pedestrian hit-and-run collision, Coroner Karl Addis said in the release.
The sheriff’s department said De Vries was reported missing Saturday at about 6:30 p.m., according to the release.
De Vries worked at a Dollar General store on Stamp Creek Road in Salem, South Carolina, the coroner’s office said. He routinely walked to his home in the Keowee Key community, about a mile from the store, and was last seen leaving work around 10 p.m. Thursday, according to the release.
The missing person report was made after a co-worker contacted De Vries’ father and reported that his son had not been to work in two days, the coroner’s office said.
A deputy began searching the road between the Dollar General store and Keowee Key when he discovered the body, according to the release.
The deadly hit-and-run crash is believed to have occurred Thursday, between 10-10:30 p.m., and De Vries likely died in that same time frame, the coroner’s office said.
No other injuries were reported.
No arrests have been reported, and there was no word about a driver or anybody else who might have been involved in the crash.
The vehicle is believed to be a 2021 to 2025 Toyota Sienna minivan with damage to the passenger front and side, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, which is investigating the crash along with the sheriff’s department and coroner’s office. The vehicle’s color was unknown.
An autopsy will be performed on Monday to assist the investigation, according to the coroner’s office.
Anyone with information about the collision, or the vehicle and driver involved, is asked to call the Highway Patrol at 864-241-1000 or 800-768-1503, CrimeStoppers at 844-71-CRIME or submit an online tip. Tips can also be texted to *HP.
Through May 11, at least 278 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2025, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, at least 948 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.
At least four people have died in Oconee County crashes in 2025, according to DPS data. There were 15 deaths in the county in 2024, DPS reported.
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This story was originally published May 18, 2025 at 9:25 AM with the headline "Man left work but never made it home, SC official says. Here’s what happened."
