In late November 2017 Beaufort County lost two people in a short span. Nineteen-year-old Chaz Blanding was last seen alive on the night of November 21 when he left home with his 25-year-old uncle, Robert Blanding. On November 22 Robert’s body was found in a drainage ditch on Lady’s Island with multiple gunshot wounds; Chaz was reported missing and endangered.

Search efforts ended on December 2 when Chaz’s body was found in a wooded area off Simmons Road on St. Helena Island. A forensic autopsy determined he died of multiple gunshot wounds and ruled his death a homicide. Investigators believed an apparent robbery attempt on a secluded road on Lady’s Island was the motive.

Several people were arrested over the course of the investigation. Two juveniles at the time and others faced charges that were later resolved through guilty pleas, sentences, or dismissals after trials could not secure verdicts. What does anyone who knew Chaz or saw activity on Lady’s Island that night remember?