COLUMBUS, Ohio – The body of missing Ohio State football player Kosta Karageorge was found Sunday in a dumpster behind his residence, a block from the High Street business district, police said.
According to police, he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and the gun was found in the dumpster.
Karageorge hadn’t been seen since leaving his Columbus apartment early Wednesday morning, around 2 a.m. The site where police found his body is about a mile and half from Ohio Stadium, where Karageorge was scheduled to be part of Senior Day festivities on Saturday before the win over Michigan.
The body was found at East Sixth Avenue and Courtland Avenue around 2:35 p.m. Sunday.
A press conference was held around 5:30 p.m. to address the media. During that time, officials confirmed initial investigation showed it was missing OSU football player Kosta Karageorge.
Karageorge, 22, had not been seen since he left his East 7th Avenue apartment at 2 a.m. on Wednesday to go for a walk. The family filed a missing persons report not long after.
His mother said he last sent her a text around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. In the text, she said he mentioned the concussions and said, “I’m sorry if I’m an embarrassment.”
WBNS-TV, WCMH-TV and The Columbus Dispatch reported Sunday that police confirm a body has been found. But both police and Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer say they have no updates on the search for defensive lineman Kosta Karageorge.
A police report says Karageorge’s mother told authorities he has had concussions and spells of confusion. She said he texted a message Wednesday citing the concussions and saying he was sorry if he was “an embarrassment.”
The Buckeyes defeated Michigan on Saturday, 42-28. Defensive lineman Michael Bennett said afterward that Karageorge missed practices that teammates started getting nervous Thursday.
