On the morning of September 16, 2012, Pareshkumar Patel, a 44-year-old man who was a native of India, arrived at the Raceway gas station he operated on Jefferson Davis Highway in Chesterfield, Virginia, for what he likely presumed would be a typical day of work. As he exited his vehicle around 6 a.m., he was immediately confronted by two individuals dressed in hoodies. In a swift and violent encounter, these two unidentified persons forced Mr. Patel into a van and sped away from the scene, abducting him before he ever had the chance to open his store for the day.
For four agonizing days, the whereabouts of Pareshkumar Patel remained a mystery. The search for him came to a grim conclusion on September 20, 2012, when his body was discovered at Ancarrow Boat Landing in the city of Richmond. An autopsy would later confirm that he had died from multiple gunshot wounds. Those who knew him described Mr. Patel as a religious man without any known enemies, leaving his family and community stunned by the brutal nature of his death. At the time of his murder, he was a husband and a father to two children.
The investigation into the abduction and murder of Pareshkumar Patel became a collaborative effort involving the Chesterfield County Police Department, the Richmond Police Department, and the FBI. The case has been challenging for law enforcement, and despite their efforts, it has grown cold over the years. While investigators have looked into various aspects of Mr. Patel's life for clues, including a civil lawsuit he was involved in at the time of his death, no definitive motive has been publicly established. The two individuals in hoodies seen abducting him are considered persons of interest, but their identities remain unknown, and no arrests have been made in the case. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individuals responsible for his death, as the quest for justice for Pareshkumar Patel continues.
