Fifty-three years ago, on June 24, 1972, 14-year-old Michael Steven Akey, with two juvenile friends, hitched a ride with an unknown white male in a 1962 or 1963 four-door Chevrolet. The kids visited a watermelon patch at Trammell’s Market in Burton, Beaufort County, South Carolina.
When they arrived, two of Akey’s friends were in the patch grabbing watermelons, but Akey stayed in the car with the unknown subject. When the vehicle sped off, leaving the other two juveniles behind.
Akey was never seen alive again, and the case went cold until 1978, when workers found what appeared to be skeletal remains of Akey while clearing land near Whitehall Plantation on Lady’s Island.
Using available technology at the time, it was determined the remains were likely Akeys, but it wouldn’t be until 2005 that the remains were indeed Michael Steven Akey.
The unknown white male who picked the boys up on that day has never been identified, and the case is considered cold.
If you have any information regarding this case, you can contact Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC or the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.
Image Credit: Find-A-Grave/ Tom Mason