Detectives seeking leads in 2002 stabbing of North Charleston store clerk

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- Authorities are still working to identify a suspect more than 20 years after a clerk was fatally stabbed at a North Charleston convenience store.

In the early morning of July 16, 2002, deputies responded to the Hess Mart in the 2600 block of Ashley Phosphate Road and found the clerk, 48-year-old Franklin Caddell, dead inside the store.

Caddell was believed to be fatally stabbed during a robbery because the cash register had been tampered with, according to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).

A disguised attacker could be seen on store surveillance footage, but authorities said no facial features or identifying marks were visible.

Investigators have followed many leads in this case over the past 21 years but made no arrests.

Watch WCBD’s original report from July 16, 2022, below:

Anyone with information is asked to contact CCSO Detective Barry Goldstein at 843-554-2241.