In the early morning hours of a winter day in Columbia, South Carolina, the life of Rochelle Jenkins, a 37-year-old woman, was brought to a violent and sudden end. For nearly two decades, the questions surrounding her death have remained unanswered, leaving a painful void for those who knew her and a lingering mystery in the city's popular Five Points neighborhood. Her case remains a priority for cold case investigators who believe someone in the community holds the key to finally finding justice.
The night of Saturday, February 5, 2005, blended into the morning of Sunday, February 6. The Five Points area, known for its vibrant collection of bars, restaurants, and shops near the University of South Carolina campus, was likely bustling with its usual weekend crowd. Rochelle was reportedly seen alive around 11:00 p.m. near the district's iconic fountain, a central gathering spot.
It was the last time anyone has officially reported seeing her.
Just two hours later, at approximately 1:00 a.m., a grim discovery was made. Rochelle Jenkins's body was found in an alley located off the 800 block of Pavilion Street. An autopsy would later confirm she had been stabbed to death. The suddenness of the crime and its location in a well-trafficked area left the community shaken and investigators with a complex scene. What happened in the two hours between her last sighting and the discovery of her body remains the central question in the investigation.
The City of Columbia Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation, cataloging the case under number 05-3851. Detectives canvassed the area, searching for witnesses who might have seen Rochelle with someone or noticed anything out of the ordinary in the alley off Pavilion Street. However, the initial investigation did not lead to an arrest, and as days turned into years, Rochelle's case grew cold.
Despite the passage of time, law enforcement has not forgotten Rochelle Jenkins. Her murder is listed on the Columbia Police Department's official roster of unsolved cases. The department's Cold Case Unit periodically reviews the evidence, hoping that new technology or a fresh perspective might uncover a missed clue. Investigators believe that it is likely someone saw something relevant that night, even if they didn't realize its significance at the time.
The lack of public information about Rochelle's personal life has made a public appeal more challenging, but the known facts of her case are stark. She was a woman in the prime of her life who was last seen in a public place before being violently killed in a nearby alley. Her killer has evaded justice for more than nineteen years. As of November 2026, the case remains open and unsolved, a persistent and somber entry in the city's cold case files.
Investigators continue to urge the public to come forward with any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Anyone who was in the Five Points area on the night of February 5 or the early morning of February 6, 2005, and remembers seeing Rochelle Jenkins or anything unusual near Pavilion Street is asked to contact the Columbia Police Department's Cold Case Unit at 803-545-3525.
