LOBECO, S.C. — A South Carolina teenager who disappeared on his way to school has been found dead, his body hidden in brush near a highway in Bamberg County.

The Island Packet reports the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office says an autopsy has determined 18-year-old Malik Spencer was shot to death, and his death has been classified as a homicide. A sheriff’s office release says his body was found late last month.

Spencer’s mother, Michelle Spencer-Ransom, says she last saw her son in December when he left for school and she left for work. But she says the Whale Branch High School senior never made it there. His car was found abandoned in a rural area days later, and police said foul play was suspected.

The sheriff’s office and state law enforcement are investigating.