Five years on, family of Rodney Williams still searching for answers on his tragic Orangeburg death (+ video)

Five years after 32-year-old Rodney Williams was killed in a hit-and-run accident, his family is still searching for closure in his death, but the grieving process has given way to memories of better times and a scholarship fund set up in Williams’ name to honor his always-helpful attitude.

Williams’ mother, Annie, and his sister, Jennifer Kitt, said that he was the kind of guy who would drop anything he was doing if that meant lending a helping hand to even a complete stranger.

“Even when we were at the grocery store he would help people put their bags into their car,” Kitt said.

Annie Williams said while her son, the second youngest of eight children, was growing up he wanted to pursue a career in the military or play basketball. Although neither of those career choices worked out, Williams said her son was always a handy man, often helping people with their cars. Williams said Rodney was beginning to look for a career in the plumbing industry after being certified as a plumber while visiting his sister in California.

On April 24, 2010, just as Williams was getting his life together and looking for a job, a family friend asked if he would be able to help her and her two children move from Orangeburg to Columbia.

“He never came back,” Annie Williams said.

At some point during the move her son stopped at a convenience store on Bluff Road. He had driven the friend’s vehicle to the store, but then left on foot, traveling toward the I-77 exit ramp for Bluff Road and then walking northbound on I-77 South. Williams was then struck by a car and killed. The driver did not stop or call police, according to Williams’ mother.

“We still don’t know why he left the store on foot when he drove there, but someone has to know why,” she said.

At 2 a.m. that day, Williams said she heard a knock on her door. When she opened the door, a State Highway Patrol officer and a coroner were standing outside.

“They told me Rodney had been in an accident, and he did not make it,” Williams said. “He had been in a hit-and-run and they didn’t have any suspects or anyone to charge. At that time I was devastated. I didn’t know what to think or what to do. I couldn’t believe that someone had hit him, left him and killed him. It was the hardest thing to digest.”

The Monday before the accident, Kitt said she remembers messing around with her brother in the kitchen – as they did when they were kids – while cooking breakfast for their mother.

“I really miss that. That was the last moment me and him shared,” Kitt said.

It is still a mystery to Kitt and Annie Williams why Rodney Williams began walking on the highway, but they know someone had to be at the store that night who would have seen him. But the mother and daughter said they are ready to forgive whoever is responsible for hitting Williams.

“Accidents happen every day,” Kitt said. “When you hit someone accidentally, it’s just helpful to come forward and say sorry versus just letting us suffer and trying to put these pieces together. Every little bit of information helps. What he was wearing that night, who he was with and if he looked happy or mad. It all helps further the investigation.”

Kitt said they have not heard from the woman who requested her brother’s assistance following the accident.

In the years following Williams’ death, Annie Williams and her daughter set up a $250 scholarship fund in Rodney Williams’ name. The scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior in Orangeburg District 5 who is overcoming a family tragedy and also is known as a help in the community. So far, the scholarship has been awarded to seven rising college freshmen. Kitt said it’s important to help those who help their communities because they are like her brother.

“Since my brother was such a helpful person, we ask for helpful people in the community to apply,” Kitt said. “That is how we keep him alive.”

If anyone has information regarding Williams’ death, they are urged to call CrimeStoppers at 1 (888)-CRIME-SC.

This story was originally published April 26, 2015 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Five years on, family of Rodney Williams still searching for answers on his tragic Orangeburg death (+ video)."