Cheryl Conners

Just after midnight in Columbia, South Carolina, the life of Cheryl Conners, a 45-year-old woman, came to a brutal and mysterious end. In the first minutes of Friday, October 7, 2005, her body was discovered, leaving behind a cold case that has puzzled investigators for years and a painful void for those who knew her. The little that is publicly known about Cheryl’s life is tragically overshadowed by the violence of her death, a story pieced together from a grim trail of evidence left by her killer.

Her partially clothed body was found at 12:01 a.m. in a pathway off the 1700 block of Van Heise Street. This walkway, a secluded and wooded path, served as a connector to a group of trailers located at 1717 Carnegie Street. An autopsy would later confirm the cause of death was strangulation. The scene told a story of a horrific final struggle. Investigators with the Columbia Police Department quickly determined that the path where Cheryl was found was not where the attack began.

Evidence indicated that the initial assault happened across the street, within the quiet confines of Crescent Hill Cemetery, also known as Crescent Manor Cemetery. Police believe she was attacked there before her killer dragged her body across Van Heise Street and abandoned her in the pathway. The crime scene suggested a prolonged and violent encounter, one that began in one location and ended in another, leaving investigators with a complex puzzle to solve.

The Columbia Police Department, handling case number 05-51150, began an exhaustive investigation. A significant lead emerged when police received tips about a possible altercation that had occurred in the cemetery two days before Cheryl's body was found. According to a 2010 report by ABC Columbia, authorities were looking into a confrontation that took place sometime between 8:00 p.m. and midnight on the evening of Wednesday, October 5, 2005. This information provided a potential timeline and a focus for the investigation, suggesting that the events leading to Cheryl's murder may have started midweek.

Despite this lead, the investigation has been met with persistent silence. Years have passed, and the identity of the person or persons responsible for Cheryl Conners' death remains unknown. No arrests have ever been made in the case. The details of Cheryl's personal life, her family, her work, and her passions have remained private, lost in the public narrative that has been solely defined by her murder. Without family members speaking publicly, the full picture of the woman who was lost has been difficult to form.

As of February 2010, the Columbia Police Department confirmed they were still actively seeking new information and leads from the public. The case is now considered a cold case, but it is not a closed one. It remains on the city's list of unsolved homicides, a stark reminder of a life taken and a killer who has evaded justice. Investigators and the community are still waiting for the one crucial piece of information that could break the case open. Anyone with information regarding the murder of Cheryl Conners is asked to call Crime Stoppers.