Police are looking to crack a murder case in Northeast Richland County.
They say the man responsible, Carlos Saucedo, has been on the run for almost two years, first taking off to Mexico, but, could be back here in the Midlands. Tips from the Hispanic community have them thinking Saucedo is in the area, the 28-year-old accused of killing a Korean business owner on Decker Boulevard in 2006. That community is still looking for answers about one of the Midlands Most Wanted.
People who live and work along a several mile strip of Decker Boulevard still talk about what happened there almost two years ago.
"I remember all the police," says Steve Kim, who owns Dino's Restaurant on Decker Boulevard. "It's just bad memories."
Kim reluctantly remembers the night a member of the small tightly knit Korean community there was lost to a gunshot. A neighboring businessman, 50-year-old Duck Kee Kim was killed at the billiard hall he ran right next door.
"When something happens here we try to help each other. We're very close," says Steve Kim, who is not related to the victim.
On August 24, 2006, police say Duck Kee Kim was killed at Decker Billard by Carlos Saucedo. There was a disagreement between Saucedo and some other men at the billiard hall. He was asked to leave. That's when police say Saucedo fired several shots at the building. One went through the front door, killing Kim. Saucedo has been running ever since.
"Since the beginning both the Korean community and the Hispanic community have been very interested in this case," says Sgt. Kevin Isenhoward with the Richland County Sheriff's Department.
That interest has kept the case on the front burner. Recent tips indicate Saucedo, who is a Mexican national, may be back in the Midlands after fleeing to Mexico after the August 2006 crime. Now police are looking for more public input so they can bring closure to a wounded community.
"It's a possibility he came back here to find work and he could go back again," says Sgt. Eisenhoward. "So we may not have much time to find him."
However slim the window of opportunity, it still offers hope to people like Steve Kim looking for the end of a long ordeal.
"Life is very important so they are trying to help us so this doesn't happen again," says Kim.
Richland County deputies say Carlos Saucedo has family in the Columbia area. Investigators think he may have recently worked construction jobs in the Midlands, and is known to spend time in West Columbia, Dentsville and Gaston.
Officials believe people in the area, whether they are old friends or family, are in contact with Saucedo and likely know where he is. His appearance has likely been altered. Investigators say Saucedo has longer hair that has been dyed a bright color. Saucedo is considered dangerous, so if you see him or know where he is, call Crimestoppers at 1-888-559-TIPS.