In the early morning hours of April 21, 2023, bullets ripped through the bedroom window of a teenager who lived on Harriet Tubman Lane near Varnville, South Carolina. One of those bullets ended the life of 18-year-old Kaleb Cave as he slept.
The drive-by shooting remains unexplained. No arrests have been made -- and no suspects or persons of interest have been publicly identified by law enforcement.
Last month, the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) asked for the public's assistance -- emphasizing that even the smallest piece of information could break the case open. But as the investigation continues, a family is left without answers - mourning a loss they cannot forget under circumstances they cannot understand.
At approximately 2:00 a.m. EDT on that fateful morning, a vehicle reportedly drove past the residence and opened fire. Cave was struck by a bullet that came through his bedroom window. He died at the scene. The shooting was confined to that specific area of his family's home. No one else was injured. It appeared to be a targeted attack.
Whether Cave was the intended target or the victim of a tragic mistake remains unclear.
Cave's home seemed an unlikely place for a drive-by shooting. Harriet Tubman Lane is less than half a mile long. It runs parallel to Charleston Highway and is sparsely populated with only a few residences along the road.
On the morning of the incident, Hampton County Sheriff Anthony Russell asked SLED to investigate.
Earlier this summer, Asia Capers - Kaleb's mother - took to Facebook to share her thoughts about the investigation.
"Every time I see Hampton County Sheriff('s) Office and SLED post, it's always finding someone('s) killer," Capers wrote. "It's been two years and I haven't seen not one post about my son Kaleb Cave."
"Yeah, we're not in y'all pocket," Capers continued. "If you're gonna do it, do it right."
Capers also noted her son left behind a young daughter.
"He left behind a little girl and she wants answers too," Capers wrote.
In cases like Kaleb Cave's unsolved murder - in which scant information is available to law enforcement - it is often seemingly unremarkable tips that ultimately solve the crime. Trivial observations can wind up breaking a case wide open, which is why it is important for anyone with such information to communicate with investigators.
While most people imagine a "tip" as a dramatic confession or a piece of hard evidence, the reality is far more ordinary. A good tip can be as simple as a vehicle sighting, a change in schedule, or an offhand comment made by a suspect. Investigators are looking for the strange detail that doesn't quite fit the norm, the moment that doesn't sit right looking back.
Tips initially ignored or second-guessed can also brings answers - and justice. After all, it was a floppy disk that helped police identify Dennis Rader - a.k.a. the notorious BTK killer. A casual observation returned Elizabeth Smart home to her family after she was abducted. Closer to home, in Horry County it was a report of a suspicious vehicle that helped investigators identify suspects in the disappearance of Heather Elvis. In Greer, it was a neighbor's ring camera footage that helped police identify Zachary Hughes, the "Rose Petal" murderer.
In each of those cases, the evidence could have been overlooked - or the person who observed something could have kept it to themselves instead of sharing it with investigators. And had that happened, the outcomes would have been dramatically different.
A small bit of information - paired with law enforcement's evidence and investigator's training - can make all the difference for a family like Cave's.
Kaleb Cave was shot and killed in his sleep, in his own home. Nearly two years later, his family is still waiting for answers. Another with information is urged to contact SLED at 866-472-8477 or via email at [email protected].
Callie Lyons is a relentless investigative journalist, researcher, and author known for exposing hard truths with heart and precision. As a journalist for FITSNews, she dives into high-profile and murky cases -- like that of Mica Francis Miller -- with fearless resolve and a sharp eye for detail, whether it's tracking white-collar crime, uncovering religious abuse, or examining the often-bizarre behavior of those who believe they're above the law.
Callie made waves with her groundbreaking 2007 book Stain-Resistant, Nonstick, Waterproof and Lethal, the first to reveal the dangers of forever chemicals, a story that helped inspire the film Dark Waters and influenced global scientific dialogue. Her work has appeared in numerous documentaries, including Toxic Soup, National Geographic's Parched: Toxic Waters, and more recently Citizen Sleuth, which examines the complexities of true crime podcasting.
Whether she's navigating environmental disasters or the darker corners of society, Lyons operates with one guiding belief: "Truth never damages a cause that is just."