Do you know who murdered 23 year old Benjamin Patterson in 1993? In the fall of 1993, the city of Greenville, South Carolina, was confronted with a puzzling and tragic mystery that continues to linger decades later. On September 26, the body of 23-year-old Benjamin Patterson was discovered in a deeply unsettling scene. He was found draped over the branch of a tree near a footpath located between 713 and 801 Dunbar Street. An autopsy would later confirm that Patterson had been shot to death.
The discovery was made all the more unusual by the fact that he was found dressed in women's clothing, a detail that has remained a central and enigmatic element of the case.
The initial investigation into Patterson's death led authorities to believe that the footpath where his body was found was not the place where he was killed. Evidence suggested that he had been shot at a different location and his body was subsequently moved, indicating a calculated effort by the perpetrator to cover their tracks. This belief was bolstered by witness accounts of a loud argument followed by the sound of gunfire in the time leading up to the discovery of Patterson's body. These reports pointed to a violent altercation as the precursor to the young man's murder, though the specifics of this confrontation remain elusive.
Despite the initial investigation and the strange circumstances surrounding the death, the case eventually went cold. To this day, no arrests have been made in connection with the murder of Benjamin Patterson, and no suspects have been publicly named. The Greenville Police Department continues to classify the case as an unsolved homicide. In an ongoing effort to unearth new information that might finally lead to a breakthrough, a $2,000 reward has been offered for any tips that could help investigators solve this grim and enduring mystery and bring a measure of peace to a community still searching for answers.
