Jessie O. Sanders, 62, was found dead on the shoulder of U.S. 176 near the Molly’s Rock Picnic Area in Sumter National Forest on the morning of April 11, 2016. A passing motorist discovered the body, and an autopsy later confirmed Sanders died from multiple gunshot wounds; his death was ruled a homicide.

Investigators from the Newberry County Sheriff’s Department, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Whitmire Police Department say evidence indicated a violent struggle at Sanders’ home on Byrd Street. Authorities believe he was abducted from the residence, forced into a vehicle and taken to the remote location where he was killed. Items including cash, electronics and possibly jewelry were reported missing.

Police identified 22-year-old Michael Saheem Spears of Aiken as a suspect after he was arrested on unrelated charges. Spears was then charged in connection with Sanders’ death with murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. Did anyone in Whitmire or the Sumter National Forest area see Sanders or a suspicious vehicle the night of April 10–11?