01/31/10: Brandon Graves, 24, Sumter, SC

Brandon Graves - MISSING

Brandon Graves is missing.

On January 30, 2010, Brandon Graves and a friend left Myrtle Beach, SC, on a spur of the moment trip to join members of his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Inc. for a homecoming event at Morris College in Sumter, SC. The twenty-four year old called his girlfriend along the way, and then called friends when he arrived.

His fraternity won first place at homecoming’s step competition.
At around 11 p.m., Graves went with two friends to Sebastian’s Night Life at 3289 Broad St., in Sumter County, but he was apparently asked to leave the club just before midnight.

Surveillance video taken outside the club shows Graves being turned away by a bouncer, before leaving. He appeared upset.

According to WLTX.com, the club’s night manager, “was standing just a few feet away when Graves came up to the club.” The manager told WLTX.com that Graves, “was intoxicated, we think, but not out of hand, but we didn't want any trouble so we told him he had to leave for the night.”

After being ejected from the club, a friend saw Graves him in the parking lot talking to a group of people. Witnesses say Graves then left in a white car, possibly to head to another club with someone.

A few hours later, Graves placed three cell phone calls. The first was at about 1 a.m., when Graves called a friend for some phone numbers. At 3 a.m., he called his cousin but got no answer, so he left a message. The last call he made was at about 4 a.m. to a friend in Myrtle Beach; he said he would see him later that day. It was the last time anyone heard from Graves.

Graves was reported missing Feb. 1, according to a police report.
Sumter County police have said that Graves has no police record, was not known to associate with drug dealers, and was a well-liked, athletic individual. His family told the media that it is unlikely that Brandon would be carrying any cash (SCNow.com, 4/29/10).

The Sumter County Sheriff’s Department initially said there was no reason to believe anyone would want to hurt Graves, but on February 6, police said they had suspicions that a crime may be involved in the disappearance.

In February 2010, authorities were able to identify a man from Claredon County who may have been the one to leave with Graves in the white car, but they said he was not a suspect.


About Brandon Graves

Brandon’s aunt and adoptive mother, Lois German, raised him since he was 3 after the death of his mother, who is her sister. She considers Brandon to be like her own child, and notes that he was always respectful as a child.

Graves, who earned the nicknamed “Peanut” because of his small stature, is described by his family as a very family-oriented person who always stayed in close contact.

At the time of his disappearance, Graves was living an hour and a half away in Myrtle Beach, and he returned to his hometown of Little Rock, SC, every weekend to be with his family and go to church.

Graves’ older sister, Vassie Lloyd, said it is not like him to leave and not contact his family or to contact his girlfriend of 7 years.

"It’s not like him to not have a called somebody.”
- Brandon Graves's sister

“We don’t know where he’s at and that’s out of character for him,” Lloyd said Wednesday from her Charlotte, N.C., area home. “He’s a quiet laid back type of person. He’s a very friendly person, most times you see him he’s always smiling. He’s easy to get along and it hurts my heart that someone would want to hurt or harm him. It’s not like him to not have a called somebody.”

His brother, Lorenzo Graves, says Brandon is a" very good person” who was outspoken and friendly. “Everybody he met became his friend,” he said.

Graves attended Morris College for a year before transferring to Coastal Carolina University (CCU), where he graduated in December 2008. While at CCU, he worked as a student trainer on the CCU football team. He had just gotten a new job in Myrtle Beach two weeks before his disappearance.

If you have any information about Brandon Graves, call Sumter police at 843-436-2700 or make an anonymous call to Crimestoppers at 1-800-CRIME-SC.


Facts in this Case:Name/age: Brandon Rodriguez Graves, 24
Last contact: 1/31/10, 4 a.m., Sumter, SC
Physical Description: 5'4” 150 pounds, long black hair in dreadlocks, brown eyes.
Last seen wearing: Blue T-shirt with a black thermal shirt under it, black jeans and black baseball cap.
Notes: Graves suffers from asthma, and his family is concerned that without proper medication, his health could suffer.
Investigating Agency: Sumter police at 843-436-2700