Today marks 28 years since the dead body of Stacey Brooke Holsonback, a Clemson University student from 1996-1997, was found floating in Lake Hartwell.

Around midday on Feb. 20, 1997, a construction worker found Holsonback’s body in a small cove across from what is now the Snow Family Outdoor Fitness and Wellness Complex, formerly known as the Roy Cooper YMCA Recreation Area. After the autopsy, the 19-year-old’s cause of death was ruled a homicide by manual strangulation, according to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office.

On the night of Feb. 19, 1997, Holsonback had gone “mud-bogging” — racing vehicles through pits of mud — near Seneca with two male friends. Holsonback’s friends, identified as Bryant Gallup and Jeff Dubnansky, were also students at Clemson. The two were considered to be persons of interest in Holsonback’s murder case.

After a night that included drinking, the group’s vehicle got stuck in the mud, according to the OCSO. Gallup and Dubnansky claimed that when they began to argue, Holsonback walked into the woods.

When they couldn’t find her, the pair allegedly went back to their dorm to sleep. The next day, Holsonback’s roommate reported her missing to Clemson University Police Department officers.

When Captain Reed of the OCSO spoke with producers from True Crime News in 2016, he shared suspicions regarding the boys’ stories. Reed believes the account that Holsonback “wandered off” did not make sense.

In his opinion, Gallup and Dubnansky may have harmed Holsonback after she rejected “sexual advances.” This theory is supported by the fact that, during Holsonback’s autopsy, the medical examiner found potential evidence of sexual assault.

The story about the vehicle getting stuck, in Reed’s opinion, may have been Gallup and Dubnansky’s alibi.

Laura Hudson, executive director of the South Carolina Crime Victims’ Council, pushed for Gallup and Dubnansky to be taken to trial; however, prosecutors lacked evidence. Due to heavy rain during the night of the murder and the location of Holsonback’s body in Lake Hartwell, there was limited DNA evidence, according to True Crime News.

Gallup and Dubnansky have never been named suspects or charged in connection with the crime in the 28 years since it happened. Both men have since moved out of South Carolina and hired attorneys.

Stacey Brooke Holsonback, known by family and friends as Brooke, was from Prosperity, South Carolina. She was the eldest daughter of Warren and Debbie Holsonback and had two younger siblings. She was accepted to Clemson University when she was a junior at Saluda High School, according to True Crime News.

At Clemson, Holsonback was a freshman studying biochemistry. She hoped to have a career in research, specifically in cancer treatment. Holsonback was a member of Gamma Sigma Sigma, a national service sorority, and lived in Johnstone Hall, according to WSPA 7 News.

The OCSO created a task force in 2017 in hopes of finding the parties responsible for Holsonback’s death and bringing them to justice.

Warren Holsonback was interviewed in 2017 by WYFF News for the 20th anniversary of his daughter’s death.

“I still have a lot of belief in the law enforcement system,” Holsonback said. “The new task force, the new one that’s going, could make a big difference, so I’m hopeful with that, that we may get some answers that have been missed for many years.”

If anyone has information regarding Holsonback’s unsolved homicide, they can call Crimestoppers at 638-STOP or 1-888-CRIME-SC or text in tips to 274637. If a tip leads to an arrest, one could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.