He Was Helping His Friend Plan His Bachelor Party On The Night He Disappeared
It’s hard to imagine having to deal with the sudden vanishing of a family member, thinking you’re finally about to get some answers, only to be left with nothing at all.
That’s what happened to the family of Shelton Sanders, who thought they would receive justice for his suspected murder after he disappeared in 2001, but after a mistrial and years of searching, they still don’t know where he is.
Shelton was a hardworking 25-year-old student studying Administrative Information Management at the University of South Carolina when he went missing in 2001. He dreamed of becoming a computer programmer, getting married, and starting a family. His family members fondly remember him as a bright young man who prioritized his family and had a lot of ambition.
But tragically, Shelton’s family never saw him again after June 19, 2001, three days before he was reported as missing.
That day, Shelton commuted from his family’s home in Rembert, South Carolina, to the city of Columbia for a full day of work and school. He stayed in the area later to help plan a friend’s upcoming bachelor party with his friend and former college roommate, Mark Richardson.
Shelton called his family around 8:00-9:00 pm that night to let them know he’d be getting home later than usual. It was the last time they would hear from him.
Around 9:30 pm, Shelton and Mark allegedly stopped by two hotels to ask about pricing for the bachelor party before going to Mark’s home on Olympia Avenue in Columbia, which was his last known location.
Then, one of Mark’s neighbors told police he reportedly heard three gunshots coming from the direction of Mark’s home just before midnight. When he went to see what was going on, Mark allegedly told him the sounds were from his car backfiring.
Three days later, Shelton’s family reported him missing, as he hadn’t returned home.
Diorgi – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Almost two years later, the car Shelton had been driving the night he disappeared, his brother’s white 1988 Oldsmobile Regency, was found in the parking lot of an apartment complex.
Authorities determined the car had been there since Shelton disappeared and, after checking cell phone records, concluded that Mark had driven the car there the night Shelton disappeared in an effort to hide it.
In 2005, Mark was arrested for Shelton’s suspected murder even though his body had not been found. During Mark’s trial in April 2008, the jury was unable to reach a verdict, and it was declared a mistrial.
He was eventually released, and sadly, there has been no major resolution or answer for what happened to Shelton.
Shelton’s family is still desperately searching for some kind of additional information on where he is, and the reward for any helpful information on his case has bumped up to $50,000.
At the time of Shelton’s disappearance, he was six foot one, weighed 225 pounds, and was an African-American man with black hair and brown eyes. He would have been 47 years old today.
If you have any information regarding his case, you are urged to contact the Richland County Sheriff’s Department at (803) 576-3000.
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe
She Lives In An A-Frame Home That’s Woodsy Yet Chic And Only Cost A Total Of $83,000
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:True Crime