Vernita Danielle Nita White, 19, was shot and killed on October 27, 2018, inside a home on Middleton Avenue in the Woodmont subdivision of Florence, South Carolina. Police found her inside the residence where officers said she lived, and the Florence County Coroner’s Office moved to have an autopsy performed at the Medical University of South Carolina. Investigators initially focused on people close to her, and police charged her boyfriend, Deangelo Laquawn Thomas, with murder.

White worked at the Burger King on West Evans Street, where coworkers and loved ones gathered after her death to release balloons in her memory. Those who knew her described her as warm and respectful, active in church and a youth group, and working toward her GED. The neighborhood was shaken by an ordinary Saturday night turning into a scene of flashing lights and urgent radio traffic.

If anyone knew Vernita White, her routines, or saw anything on Middleton Avenue that night, please come forward with information.