A body found off Interstate 20 in Lexington County Wednesday has been identified.
Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said the body was Walter R. Payne Jr., 69, of New London, Ohio.
According to Fisher, Payne’s body was discovered near a wooded area by a trooper with South Carolina Highway Patrol shortly before 8 am by an abandoned rest stop which is located between the 49 and 48 mile markers.
An autopsy to determine the cause of Payne’s death is scheduled to take place on Friday in Charleston.
Lexington County deputies have launched a death investigation.
Payne was found dead Wednesday morning at the edge of some woods, deputies said.
The former rest area is just past the Longs Pond Road exit.
Lexington Sheriff deputies believe Payne's body was placed or left there sometime after Tuesday afternoon since the rest area is regularly patroled.