Proudly Serving the Citizens of Beaufort County, South Carolina

For emergencies, call 9-1-1

Proudly Serving the Citizens of Beaufort County, South Carolina

For emergencies, call 9-1-1

On July 30, 1989, a jogger on the beach discovered the deceased body of 19-year-old Jennifer Olson in the surf near the Westin Resort on Hilton Head Island.

Forensic autopsy revealed that Olson died as result of injuries caused by blunt force inflicted by unknown subjects in the early morning hours of July 30, and that she may been been victim of a sexual assault.

Investigators learned that Olsen was accompanying her family at an insurance convention at the Westin, where she made a few acquaintances. Those people were interviewed in the days following her murder.

Witnesses reported that one of the persons interviewed by investigators, a male subject, had been sitting with Olson in the Westin pool area near the beach at approximately 3:00 am; a few hours before she was found dead.

That subject was interviewed numerous times about his involvement in Olson’s murder, but denied any involvement.

In 1992, the same subject was charged and convicted of murdering a woman in another state, where he is serving a life sentence. He remains a strong person of interest in Jennifer Olson’s death.

Evidence is continually evaluated in this case, but has yet to yield a forensic link between a subject and Olson’s murder.