Shortly after midnight on September 2, 2022, deputies responded to Dewitt Road in the Longs area of Horry County, South Carolina, where a person was found lying in the roadway. The victim was identified as Berlie Michael III, a 51-year-old man from Little River, and investigators said he died at the scene from gunshot injuries. An autopsy was planned at the Medical University of South Carolina as authorities began piecing together what happened on that stretch of road.

Initial public information was limited: police confirmed gunshot wounds and asked anyone with knowledge of Michael or the events leading to his death to come forward. Prosecutors later said the case involved a dispute over a debt and drugs, and that the argument escalated into a fatal shooting. In March 2025 a defendant pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and received a 25-year sentence; prosecutors noted the family accepted the plea and credited investigators for their work.

If anyone knew Michael, his movements that night, or saw activity on Dewitt Road around midnight on September 2, 2022, please share what is known with investigators.