Carolina Acosta

Do you know who murdered Carolina Acosta?
Carolina Acosta, a 30-year-old Hispanic mother from Hilliard, Ohio, was a beloved wife and community member whose life was tragically cut short in a violent and random act the day after Christmas. She was remembered for her warmth and kindness by those who knew her. Her sudden death left her family and community in profound shock and mourning.

The evening of December 26, 2010, began normally for Carolina and her husband, Erick Acosta. They had spent part of the late afternoon, between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m., shopping at the Mall at Tuttle Crossing in Columbus. After leaving the mall in their 2000 Lincoln Navigator, their lives were irrevocably changed. About a half-mile from the mall's parking lot, at the corner of Camden Place and Chelsea Park Drive, two unknown men approached their vehicle. One of the men brandished a handgun, and the couple was forced to let them into the backseat.

Under threat, Erick was ordered to drive. The carjackers directed him down Avery Road, instructing him to make various turns until they reached a remote, rural area on Langton Road, south of Hayden Run Road West in Brown Township, near the Madison County line. Erick later told authorities he noticed a small, mid-size red car following them during the ordeal. When they reached the secluded spot, one of the assailants said, "That's good enough," and ordered him to stop. The two men got out and tried to force Carolina and Erick out of the Navigator.

Sensing a moment to escape, Erick "punched it," accelerating away from the attackers. As he sped off, one of the suspects opened fire on the fleeing vehicle, firing at least two shots. One of the bullets struck Carolina in the head. While racing to get his wife help, Erick called 911, remaining on the phone with a dispatcher as he drove to Dublin Methodist Hospital. Despite his desperate efforts, Carolina was pronounced dead at the hospital from the gunshot wound.

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office immediately launched a homicide investigation. Detectives interviewed Erick Acosta, who was quickly ruled out as a suspect. They obtained surveillance video from the mall which confirmed the couple had been there as stated, with nothing appearing out of the ordinary. Parking lot surveillance footage also yielded no clues. The suspects were described only as two Black males in their late teens or early twenties, both approximately 5-foot-8 with brown hair and brown eyes. Investigators believe they may have fled in the red car that was seen following the Acosta's vehicle.

In the years following the murder, the case grew cold. Despite the horror of the crime, no witnesses came forward with information. In 2014, four years after the killing, Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott acknowledged that investigators had exhausted most of their leads. "Hopefully the public knows something over the past four years, that will surface and that we can use," he said, appealing for new information.

As of October 2015, Carolina Acosta's murder remains unsolved, and her killers have never been brought to justice. The case stands as a painful, unanswered question for her family and the Columbus community. The motive behind the carjacking and why the Acostas were targeted is still unknown, with investigators believing it was a random act of violence. The Franklin County Sheriff's Office continues to seek information that could lead to a breakthrough in the case. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Sheriff's Office at 614-525-3351.