Na’Ja Shelby Sanders was 17 when he was found dead on the edge of Whitman Street in Orangeburg, South Carolina. A passerby discovered his body on May 10, 2020; investigators determined he died of a single gunshot wound to the back of his head. Sanders was male.

The investigation focused on another 17-year-old, Kari Kayshon Ryant, after it was established Sanders left his mother’s home with Ryant several hours before the body was found. Surveillance footage recovered near the scene showed the two walking together, captured the moment of the fatal shot, and showed Ryant running from the area alone. Ryant later turned himself in that night and denied involvement, but cellphone records showed he had searched for how to remove gunshot residue hours after the shooting and before surrendering.

In October 2022 a jury in Orangeburg County found Kari Kayshon Ryant guilty of Sanders’ murder after deliberating less than an hour; sentencing was scheduled for January. If anyone knew Na’Ja, where he spent time, or has information about that evening, please share what is known.