More than 10 years later, family still seeking resolution in North Augusta murder case

More than 10 years ago, officers walked into a North Augusta apartment to find a woman sobbing on her hands and knees next to her boyfriend, who had been fatally shot. While law enforcement classifies the case as cold, the family says their desire to find justice is still burning just as strong.

On Sept. 29, 2012, 28-year-old Travis Smith was talking to his girlfriend outside Ridgeview Manor Apartments when multiple men walked up them and shot Smith once in the torso.

The girlfriend ran inside an apartment and Smith followed, finding his way to the couch, where he would later be pronounced dead. The Aiken County Coroner's Office confirmed Smith's cause of death was exsanguination due to the gunshot wound.

He was unarmed.

The owner of the apartment the couple ran into was asleep with her children at the time of the shooting. When shots rang out, she called 911. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division responded to the scene and the area was canvased by North Augusta Public Safety investigators.

SLED and lead investigator John Nelson worked the case for over a year, interviewing a witnesses, administering polygraphs and talking to informants who came to the department, but could not identify a suspect.

While the murder was not gang-related, Sgt. Jason Fox, who took over the case after Nelson left the department, said it can still be difficult to get people to talk.

"The problem with apartment areas is [witnesses] live there and we don't," Fox said. "We can show up, ask questions and leave. Unfortunately, the people that answer them have to stay behind and there is a possibility of retaliation. People are scared to talk to law enforcement, especially with law enforcement present, because everybody will be outside watching to see who is talking to whom."

Fox said other investigators were receiving cooperation from people who were incarcerated and a potential suspect was identified in December 2013.

Investigators interviewed the suspect multiple times while he was incarcerated at the Aiken County Detention Center, according to Fox. He refused a polygraph several times, but finally agreed because his release date was nearing.

A few months later, in April 2014, the suspect was killed in Augusta.

"[Investigators] found out that he was a victim of gun violence himself and that's when everything just stopped," Fox said. "We haven't had any new leads since 2014."

Smith's older sister, Tyesha Simmons, said her brother was looking forward to getting his GED and wanted to become closer with his daughter.

"He was a funny, sarcastic, very humble person," Simmons said. "Younger people in the neighborhood looked up to him. They asked him for advice. He was never a troublemaker."

Smith's daughter is now a 19-year-old sophomore at USC Aiken. Simmons said she is working while going to school and is doing extremely well, despite the loss.

"We want to figure out if it was a random act of violence or if was he mistaken for someone else," Simmons said. "I've been going over different scenarios in my head and I'm trying not to give up.

"A lot of people are probably thinking if you haven't found anything out in all of this time, you're probably not going to find out what happened. I know people are probably saying that, but I just feel like maybe someone who knows something has gotten older, had a family, and it'll give them the courage to come forward."

In October 2022, public safety hosted a community forum as one of the final stages in its CALEA reaccreditation process. Former mayoral candidate Richard Adams spoke about unsolved murders at the event, mentioning Smith by name.

Adams said Smith was his friend and he found out what happened the next morning.

"We would love to have some (resolution) there," Adams said. "Travis was a great guy. He was really one of those people where you thought, 'How could it be Travis of all people.'"

How are cold cases are investigated in North Augusta?

While the North Augusta Department of Public Safety does not have a specific cold case investigator, Fox said investigators are assigned cold cases and they are reviewed annually.

"The department will look at the cold cases and see if there have been any new updates as far as leads," he said. "Then it will be my task to run those leads down and see if anything new has developed."

Simmons said while small details may have seemed unimportant at the time, they could be the missing piece that gives her family closure.

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"No type of information is insignificant," she said. "It may open up the door to someone else having the courage to share something they know."

Fox said anyone with information can come forward anonymously.

"If it helps his family with closure," he said. "Say something and we'll follow it."

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Investigators reveal cold case suspect was killed in Augusta shooting