Unsolved Carolinas: Michael Akey’s Last Ride

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by JENN WOOD

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On an early summer afternoon more than a half century ago, 14-year-old Michael Steven Akey climbed into a car — never to be seen alive again.

Nearly 54 years later, investigators still don’t know what happened to him. In many ways, the case’s greatest obstacle is also its most unsettling feature: there was simply nothing at all remarkable about Akey’s final moments.

It all happened without warning. Without resistance. Without any reason to suspect danger.

And it all happened without any witnesses… or any trail to follow.

It was just an ordinary encounter that has become a lifelong mystery…

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THE LAST RIDE

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On June 24, 1972, Akey was hitchhiking near Burton, S.C. – a census-designated area on Port Royal Island in Beaufort County – with two of his friends. On that fateful afternoon, the three boys accepted a ride from a man driving a 1962 or 1963 four-door Chevrolet.

The driver took them to a watermelon patch near what was then Trammell’s Market, located at the intersection of Joe Frazier Road and Godwin Road — an otherwise unremarkable stop along a rural stretch of road in Beaufort County. When they arrived, two of the boys got out and ran into the field.

Akey stayed behind.

By the time the two boys returned to where the car had been parked – it was gone.

The driver — described only as a white male in his twenties — had disappeared down the road with Akey still inside. None of the boys had gotten his name. There was no license plate, no detailed description — just a vehicle and a brief encounter that ended as quickly as it began.

And just like that, the trail went cold…

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A DISCOVERY — BUT NO ANSWERS

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For nearly six years, Akey’s fate remained unknown. Then, on February 8, 1978 – nearly six years after he vanished without a trace – workers clearing land near Whitehall Plantation on Lady’s Island made a grim discovery: the skeletal remains of a young boy.

Whitehall is located approximately ten miles (as the crow flies) west of Akey’s last known location – on the opposite side of the Broad River.

Investigators suspected the remains discovered at Whitehall belonged to Akey — a theory supported by early forensic analysis at the time.

But certainty remained elusive…

According to contemporaneous reporting, forensic experts used skull reconstruction and photographic superimposition techniques — cutting-edge methods for the era — to link the remains to the missing teenager.

Still, even as the remains were buried, critical questions lingered:

How did Akey die?

Who was responsible for his death?

And why had no one come forward?

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SCIENCE CONFIRMS FAMILY’S FEARS…

The case resurfaced in 2005, when advances in forensic science gave investigators a second chance to conclusively identify Akey.

Authorities exhumed the remains from Beaufort National Cemetery and sent samples to the FBI lab in Quantico for mitochondrial DNA testing — comparing them to samples from Akey’s siblings.

The results were definitive.

The remains were Michael Steven Akey.

For his family, the confirmation brought a measure of closure — but not resolution. As one relative told reporters at the time, knowing it was him only deepened the need to understand what happened.

On that score, investigators were blunt: they believed foul play was likely, but they still couldn’t prove it — or tie it to a suspect.

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THE MISSING PIECE…

From the beginning, this case has hinged on a single unknown: the driver — the last person known to have seen Michael Akey alive after the stop at the watermelon patch.

More than fifty years later, he remains unidentified.

Investigators were left with little to work with beyond the accounts of the two boys who were dropped off. There were no additional witnesses, no forensic evidence tying a suspect to the scene, and no known connection between Akey and the man who picked him up. Just a brief encounter on a rural road — and a confounding disappearance.

This lack of identifying information continues to shape the case today, raising questions investigators have never been able to answer. Why did the driver leave with Akey, but not the other boys? Was this a crime of opportunity, or something more deliberate? What happened in the time between that roadside stop and the discovery of remains on Lady’s Island?

And perhaps most critically, who was behind the wheel of that car?

Despite decades of advances in forensic science, one reality remains unchanged: without identifying that driver, the case cannot move forward.

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DECADES OF SILENCE…

More than half a century later, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) still lists Michael Akey’s case among its unresolved homicides — a reminder that time alone does not solve crimes.

Investigators continue to stress that even the smallest detail could matter: a memory, a name, a vehicle, or a story that didn’t seem important at the time. In cases like this, the missing piece isn’t always physical evidence. Sometimes, it’s information someone chose not to share.

Authorities are still seeking answers, urging anyone with information to contact the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers of the Lowcountry.

After decades of silence, the question is no longer whether the truth exists – it’s whether someone is finally ready to come forward with it before it’s too late.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.

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