On the evening of June 19, 2001, Male Shelton Sanders, a 25-year-old student at the University of South Carolina, vanished from Columbia, South Carolina. He had spent the day attending classes and working his job as a computer systems manager at the university's medical school. Later, he met up with his friend and former college roommate, Mark Anthony Richardson, to plan a bachelor party for another friend. Around 9:00 p.m., Shelton called his family in Rembert to let them know he would be home late. He was last officially seen at approximately 9:51 p.m. at an Embassy Suites hotel with Richardson. After visiting several hotels, the two went to Richardson's home on Olympia Avenue to finalize the party details. This was the last known location for Shelton. He has not been seen or heard from since, and his credit cards and cell phone have not been used.
The investigation into Shelton's disappearance continued for years without any significant leads.
A major break in the case came in April 2003, when the 1988 Oldsmobile Regency he had been driving was found abandoned in the parking lot of the Greenbrier Apartments in Northeast Columbia. Authorities believe the car had been left there since the time of his disappearance. This discovery led the Richland County Sheriff's Department to upgrade the case from a missing person investigation to a homicide. In October 2005, Mark Anthony Richardson was arrested and charged with the murder of Shelton Sanders. Investigators believed that Richardson had shot and killed Shelton at his home on the night he disappeared. A neighbor reported hearing three gunshots coming from Richardson's residence that night, which Richardson allegedly explained as his car backfiring. Cell phone records also placed Richardson in the vicinity of where Shelton's car was ultimately found.
In April 2008, Mark Anthony Richardson stood trial for the murder of Shelton Sanders. During the trial, a witness testified to hearing gunshots at Richardson's house on the night Shelton went missing. However, Richardson's defense argued that there was no proof Shelton was deceased, as his body had never been found. The jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, resulting in a mistrial. Richardson was subsequently released, and a second trial has not been scheduled pending new evidence. The case officially remains an unsolved homicide. The disappearance of Shelton Sanders is a heart-wrenching story of a young man on the cusp of his college graduation whose life was cut short. Despite the arrest of a primary suspect and a subsequent trial, the lack of a conviction or the discovery of his remains has left his family without definitive answers and a true sense of justice.Last Seen: Jun 19, 2001
