A young life cut short by stranglers

Sixteen years ago a Clemson student was so close to campus, yet so far from safety. Stacey Brooke Holsonback was found strangled on the Lake Hartwell side of Oconee County February 20, 1997. She was 19 years old and never able to pursue her degree and dreams and aspirations of a life ahead. It’s a case that especially bothered hardened law enforcement veterans. One of them made it a point to stay in contact with Holsonback’s Columbia area family each year to talk about the case. But the death of Stacey Brooke Holsonback went cold. It’s a cold case that the Oconee Sheriff’s Department is drawing attention to this week in the hopes that someone somewhere may have information that’ll lead to Holsonback’s killer or killers. She was found in a small cove across the road from the Roy Cooper YMCA Recreation Area, and her death ruled a homicide by manual strangulation. The last two individuals to see Holsonback alive were two fellow Clemson students who, at the time, were considered strong persons of interest. If you have information on the case, call Crimestoppers at 638-STOP. You can also text a tip to 274637. If your tip leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a cash reward of up $2 thousand.