Nicholas Kenneth Hendrix, 25, was found dead on Old Barnwell Road in West Columbia on Sunday, November 12, 2023. An autopsy determined he died of a gunshot wound to the upper body. A neighbor reported hearing a loud thud and then seeing a white mid-2000s SUV speed away from the area.

Investigators identified 34-year-old Jesse Lou Gregory as a person of interest and took him into custody in Aiken County on unrelated charges before linking him to Hendrix’s death. Authorities say Gregory told detectives he shot Hendrix with a shotgun while they were driving together in the Leesville area, but officials also say vehicle evidence and the nature of Hendrix’s injuries are inconsistent with Gregory’s account. Charges against Gregory include murder, desecration of human remains, grand larceny for allegedly stealing the car he was driving the day before, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and circumventing an electronic monitoring device. He is being held at the Lexington County Detention Center after bond was denied.

Who in the West Columbia or Leesville area might have seen Hendrix or that white SUV around November 11–12, 2023?