Autopsy identifies body found in car

Corpse found in trunk of burned auto is Sam's Club manager who police believe was kidnapped

Web posted June 23, 1998

By Chasiti Kirkland and Emily Sollie
Staff Writers

An autopsy confirmed Monday what police in South Carolina and Georgia had theorized: the body found in a burned car near the Savannah River was David Holt, the Sam's Club manager who authorities believe was kidnapped and killed early Sunday.

``No words can describe what we felt when our worst fears were confirmed (Monday) morning, and then the anger we felt. Our prayers and thoughts go out to the family. They are our first priority,'' said Les Copeland, spokesman for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in Bentonville, Ark.

Sam's Club is a division of Wal-Mart.

The company had therapists on hand Monday at the Sam's Club discount store on Augusta's Bobby Jones Expressway to help employees deal with their grief, Mr. Copeland said.

Wal-Mart Stores is establishing a trust fund for the Holt family. The company is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and a conviction in Mr. Holt's death.

Mr. Holt died from smoke inhalation caused by carbon monoxide, a substance that would have rendered him unconscious, Aiken County Coroner Sue Townsend said.

X-rays confirmed that Mr. Holt suffered no gunshot wounds.

North Augusta public safety officers found Mr. Holt's body Sunday on Sand Pit Road in the trunk of his gold 1997 Mazda Protege. The body was burned beyond recognition so dental records were used to identify Mr. Holt, authorities said Monday.

Detectives believe Mr. Holt was kidnapped and later killed after he locked the store and left for the night, authorities said.

``This is shocking. I can't believe someone would do something like this,'' said Ann Conner, a Sam's customer from Graniteville, as she loaded groceries into her pickup Monday afternoon.

The store reopened at 7 a.m. Monday after being closed Sunday.

Employees returned to work Monday, but the atmosphere in the store was subdued.

``It's a little sad in there,'' said Robert Woolard, a customer from Augusta. ``It's pretty quiet.''

``We're dealing with a lot of emotions today,'' said a Sam's employee who would not give his name. Local employees refused to discuss Mr. Holt's death, referring inquiries to the corporate office in Arkansas.

Police believe Mr. Holt was abducted sometime after leaving Sam's Club shortly after midnight Saturday.

Because almost 1 1/2 hours passed from when he left the store until someone re-entered and turned off the alarm, detectives are considering the possibility that Mr. Holt was abducted somewhere other than the store, then brought back to the store.

``We don't think he was abducted in the (Sam's Club) parking lot,'' said Richmond County sheriff's Chief Deputy Ronald Strength. ``You've got an hour and 22, 23 minutes, and we know we've got him walking to his car. Witnesses saw that.''

Mr. Holt, 45, a native of Bangor, Maine, lived in Cayce, S.C., his wife Donna's hometown. The Holts were married for 16 years and had two sons, Christopher, 14, and Adam, 12.

Mr. Holt commuted 92 miles one-way each day from Cayce to Augusta because the Holts felt rooted in the Lexington County town and didn't want to move, said Ken Snell, Mr. Holt's brother-in-law.

``He was the kind of guy you couldn't walk away from without liking,'' Mr. Snell said. ``He was just a super guy. He was easygoing and caring. And never met a stranger.''

Mr. Holt received his bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina. Through the years, the family moved from state to state as Mr. Holt climbed the company ladder. Six years ago, they returned to Lexington County from Tennessee. He had worked at Sam's in Augusta since September 1992.

Funeral arrangements were incomplete Monday. Thompson Funeral Home in West Columbia, S.C., is in charge of arrangements.