Gerald Michael Holmes, known to family as Lil Mike or Michael, was 25 when he vanished from Columbia, South Carolina. He was last seen leaving Wade’s Pool Hall on Farrow Road alone around midnight on July 21, 1996, wearing a burgundy t-shirt and dark blue or navy jean shorts. Holmes is described as a Black male, 6 feet 3 inches tall, 175–180 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes and a full tiger tattoo on his right arm. He was a devoted father and reportedly had a positive relationship with his son’s mother.

The morning after he disappeared, about 8:30 a.m., the rental car he had been using was found burned on Pickett Hill Road, less than two miles from his aunt’s home. His personal apartment showed signs of a break-in when deputies checked it; nothing appeared to be missing and his clothes, shoes and dishes were still present. His girlfriend reported him missing to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department on July 23, 1996. The case remains unsolved and open in the sheriff’s files.

Did anyone in the Columbia area around July 21, 1996, see Gerald leave Wade’s Pool Hall or notice the burned rental car on Pickett Hill Road?