Samuel Peake

In the quiet, early hours of Thanksgiving morning in 2004, a family in Columbia, South Carolina, was unknowingly thrust into a tragedy that would remain unresolved for decades. Samuel “Mike” Peake, a 44-year-old man, became the victim of a fatal shooting, a violent end to a life that left his loved ones with more questions than answers. His full name was Michael Samuel Peake, and he was the son of Frances and Sammy D. Peake. His father, a self-employed contractor and master craftsman known for his love of the outdoors, was a quiet, simple, and honest man who cherished his family. Mike grew up alongside his siblings, Phyllis, Steve, and Mark, in a close-knit family environment.

The holiday peace was shattered at approximately 12:50 a.m. on November 24, 2004. Police were called to the 400 block of Huger Street, where they discovered Mike inside his gold 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier. He had been shot to death. Investigators from the City of Columbia Police Department pieced together his final, desperate moments. They determined that he had been shot in the back while he was outside of his vehicle. Despite the mortal wound, Mike managed to get back into his car and drive a short distance before ultimately succumbing to his injury on Huger Street.

The investigation led police to believe that the shooting itself did not happen where Mike was found. Instead, they identified the likely location of the attack as being near the intersection of South Saluda Avenue and Oceola Street. This detail added a chilling layer to the case, as it was not the first time Mike had encountered violence at that specific spot. Approximately one month before his murder, someone had fired a gunshot into the rear bumper of his same Chevrolet Cavalier at that very intersection. This prior incident suggests the possibility that Mike was a specific target, but the motive behind the warning shot and the subsequent fatal attack remains a mystery.

The Columbia Police Department has kept the case open, listing it among their unsolved homicides for years. The lack of public information since the initial investigation, however, highlights the difficult path investigators have faced. Key questions linger without answers: Who would have targeted Mike Peake? Was the first shooting an act of intimidation that escalated, or was it a failed attempt on his life? What was happening in Mike’s life that might have led him to be at that intersection in the early hours of Thanksgiving morning? Without witnesses coming forward or new evidence emerging, the trail has gone cold.

For years, the silence in the case has been a heavy burden for Mike's family. His parents, Sammy and Frances, lived for more than a decade without seeing justice for their son. His mother passed away, and his father, Sammy, carried the weight of this loss until his own death in 2017. The family, including his surviving siblings, has been left to navigate their grief in the shadow of an unsolved crime, a painful chapter in their family history that remains unfinished.

As of November 2026, the murder of Samuel “Mike” Peake is still an active cold case with the City of Columbia Police Department. Investigators continue to hope that someone, somewhere, holds the key to unlocking the truth of what happened on that lonely street corner so many years ago. They urge anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward. The smallest detail could be the missing piece that finally brings closure to a family that has waited too long for justice. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Columbia Police Department's Cold Case Unit at 803-545-3525.