In the quiet, rural landscape of Chesterfield County, South Carolina, the life of 63-year-old Farris M. 'Mickey' Short came to a sudden and violent end. On Monday, June 19, 2017, his body was discovered lying in a soybean field off Hurst Cemetery Lane. A passerby, taking his daughter to a summer school class, made the grim discovery next to Short's Toyota Tacoma pickup truck and immediately alerted the authorities.
The doors to the truck were closed, and the vehicle was not running, suggesting a scene that was anything but ordinary.
Investigators quickly determined that Short had been shot. Evidence at the scene led them to believe he had been shot inside his truck before being pulled out and left on the ground. Tire tracks, possibly from another vehicle, were marked as potential evidence, though no shell casings were found at the immediate location. A neighbor reported hearing a gunshot around 11 p.m. the previous night, Sunday, June 18, 2017, which the coroner later confirmed as his date of death. Another witness recalled seeing Short's truck in the same spot as early as 2:30 a.m. on Monday. The remote, dead-end nature of the gravel road presented an initial challenge for law enforcement, as there were few potential witnesses in the sparsely populated area.
The investigation into the death of the man, described by his daughter as friendly and funny, progressed swiftly. Utilizing phone records, deputies were able to piece together Short's final hours. It was revealed that he had driven to the secluded soybean field after dark under the impression that he was meeting someone. Sheriff Jay Brooks stated that Short's pants pockets were turned inside out, pointing towards robbery as a motive. He believed that the meeting was a setup to rob him. This crucial information led investigators to three suspects who were taken into custody just a few days after the discovery of Short's body.
Kenneth Parker Jr. and David Busby were arrested and charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of Farris 'Mickey' Short. A third individual, Nicole Deese, was charged as an accessory. All three were held without bail following their arrest. The swift arrests brought some measure of relief to a grieving family and community, who had placed a cross in the field where their loved one was found. The family, leaning on their friends and church for support, remembered a man who enjoyed coon hunting and, most of all, spending time with his family, especially his children, and always kept those around him laughing.
