The body of Kosta Karageorge, a walk-on Ohio State football player missing since early Wednesday morning, has been found.
Columbus Police announced Karageorge, a fifth-year senior and former member of the wrestling team, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Sgt. Richard Weiner said he was found in a dumpster with the gun near East Sixth and Courtland avenues behind the Kroger off south campus.
Ohio State released the following statement shortly after:
The Ohio State University Department of Athletics was shocked and saddened to learn today of the death of student-athlete Kosta Karageorge, a senior from Columbus. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Karageorge family, and those who knew him, during this most difficult time.
Karageorge, 22, was reported missing Thanksgiving after not showing up to back-to-back practices Wednesday and Thursday morning. His phone was last tracked in the Grandview area, according to the Facebook page of his mother, Susan.
“It's unbelievable. One of those all you can do is grab a knee and pray … I know there's a lot of prayers on the team because a lot of the guys are friends with Kosta. He was only with us since August. So I didn't know him that well but talked to his mom a few times,” head coach Urban Meyer said Saturday after beating Michigan.
“Just come home safe, man.”
Added junior defensive tackle Adolphus Washington: "Nobody didn’t think anything of it. The next day, everybody kept asking like have you heard from Kosta because he didn’t come in to life or whatever. I’m like, ‘No I haven’t.’ We heard from his girlfriend that he had went for a walk or something like that and he just never came back.
"But I honestly think — Kosta’s a very tough dude, and I don’t think nobody did anything to him. I hope nobody didn’t anything to him. I think he’s just away right now — I pray to God nobody did anything to him."
According to multiple reports, Karageorge was last seen at his on-campus apartment around 2 a.m. before leaving to take a walk.
"He had some extenuating circumstances that night that lead us to believe he was upset," his sister, Sophia, told the Columbus Dispatch Thursday. She added her brother has dealt with a history of concussions.
Susan Karageorge told Columbus' NBC4 her son sent her the following text before vanishing: "Sorry if I am an embarrassment, but these concussions have my head all (expletive) up."
Ohio State used Saturday's game against the Wolverines as a platform for finding Karageorge.
