Joseph Christopher Hartnett, a 46-year-old white man, was found dead in his Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, home on July 19, 2025. Police initially treated the scene as a suicide, but a subsequent assessment determined he had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head and the case was reclassified as a homicide.

Investigators later identified 30-year-old Patience Renee Nicole Spinler, a Black woman, as a suspect. At the time she was identified she was already in the Charleston County Jail on unrelated charges that include grand larceny, breaking into a motor vehicle, and financial transaction card fraud. Authorities have not released details on the relationship between Hartnett and Spinler or a motive for the killing; the investigation is ongoing and court appearances have followed.

Does anyone who knew Hartnett or saw him in Mount Pleasant in July 2025 have information that could help investigators?