On February 2, 2002, Sean Sandlin and Robert Walsh, both 30 years old, were found shot to death in a storage unit located at Taylor’s Warehouse in Bluffton.
Investigators learned that the subject responsible approached the two at their storage unit and shot them multiple times with a long gun.
It was believed the overhead door to the storage unit was open when the subject(s) approached and then shut after the shooting, which appeared to be an attempt to delay the discovery of their bodies.
Gunshots were heard by witnesses in the residential area nearby.
Witnesses reported that, after hearing the shots, they saw what they believed to be a Ford King Ranch pickup truck speed out of the Taylor Warehouse parking lot. The information provided by the various witnesses did not lead to the identification of subjects.
The storage unit where their bodies were found had been rented by Walsh. It was searched and revealed property that had been stolen from construction sites as far away as Charleston.
In a search of another storage unit at Taylor Warehouse that was rented by Walsh, investigators discovered additional stolen property from construction sites.
There is reason to suspect that Walsh and Sandlin had been traveling outside Beaufort County to steal from home sites under construction to sell the tools and other items on the black market.
In addition, Walsh had been arrested and charged with extortion several months prior to the murders.
As is the case with those engaged in sales of illegal drugs, Walsh’s and Sandlin’s activities were inherently dangerous and put them at higher risk for violence.
No subjects have been identified.
