RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — 17, that's the number of murders so far this year in Richland County. Three of them remain unsolved.
"Three mathematically sounds good, but we want to solve all of them we want to be a 100 percent," Richland County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Stan Smith said.
Chief Deputy Stan Smith oversees all of these cases.
On May 5, Richland County deputies found 68-year-old David Bolton dead inside his home on Main Street in Eastover. Family and friends hadn't heard from him, so they asked for a welfare check.
"A significant event that weekend was May Fest in Eastover and he was last seen during May Fest where a band was playing," Smith said.
Smith said Bolton's wallet was nowhere to be found. Investigators believe he was robbed outside of his house, then shot as he tried to fight back or run away.
"Eastover is a small town," Smith said. "Everybody pretty much knows everybody. We had a lot of people we checked out."
But there are still no suspects.
"Mr. Bolton was a gentleman," Smith said. "Everybody loved him, he was a kind person, everyone in Eastover knew him, never bothered anybody, never was aggressive to anybody, never created a problem with anybody, he is truly a victim."
The second case happened a few days later. On May 12, 26-year-old Theron Woodward was killed and his friend was injured in a shooting off Parklane Road.
"They were going to make their way home at that time, they were both from Fairfield Count, they took a route that took them behind Columbia Mall sort of a cut through," Smith said. "They did not realize they were being followed. As they approached the light, a gray charger pulled up next to them and opened fire through the window."
Both men were rushed to the hospital. Woodward died and his friend survived. At first there was an arrest made in this case, but it ended up being a false confession, leaving this case with no leads.
"It was not just a random act, we believe that our victims were followed, however, we don't know what the motive would of been," Smith said. "We also have considered the possibility of it being a mistaken identity.
The third case happened on September 14 around 2:30 a.m. on Clifford Drive. A deputy saw a man walking in the road and realized he had been shot. That man was 33-year-old John Green.
Smith said Green's cell phone was missing from the scene and many questions remain. Deputies want to know why Green was in that area and if he went to meet someone.
Investigators said they have new details that he was last seen with an unknown woman.
"This one does have a possibility with this female the person who was accompanying our victim," Smith said. "We hope we can get this woman identified."
That small piece could solve this puzzle, but getting these details is the biggest challenge.
"Having people that are willing to come forward, in everyone of these cases we believe somebody knows about," Smith said. "We want to bring justice to these victims and that's our goal."
If you have any information on these three unsolved murders contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC or the Richland County Sheriff's Department.