30 years later, Beaufort woman’s killer still unknown and police need your help

Three decades after Margit Schuller was shot to death in Beaufort, the identity of her killer remains a mystery, and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for information.

Shortly after 8 p.m. on Nov. 11, 1987, 34-year-old Schuller was found shot to death in the laundry room at Palmetto Apartments on Harding Street, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.

At the time, investigators developed several suspects, but forensic science of the time could not establish any firm link, the release said.

Blood evidence from the suspect was found and collected. At the time, blood typing was the industry standard and could only exclude or include a suspect in a criminal case. It would not serve as standalone as conclusive involvement of a crime, according to the release.

Months later, a handgun used in the murder was recovered a few miles from the scene. The owner of the handgun was never identified, as it was a foreign brand and may have been brought to the United States unrecorded, the release said.

In 1999, the blood evidence from the scene was resubmitted to the forensic laboratory for DNA analysis. A profile was developed by the laboratory and submitted to the FBI DNA database, which to this day has yet to return a match, according to the release.

If you have any information about the case, contact Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Cpt. Bob Bromage at 843-255- 3402 or Crimestoppers at 888-274-6372.

This story was originally published November 1, 2017 at 5:31 PM with the headline "30 years later, Beaufort woman’s killer still unknown and police need your help."