Spartanburg Deputies Still Chasing Answers in 1991 Killing of Sheriff's Informant

Ray Ballard was found lying face down on the floor of his home at the Willow Lakes Apartments on Reidville Road in August 1991, stabbed in the back with a knife and shot during what investigators say was a violent struggle inside his own residence. Thirty-five years later, the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office says it still doesn't know who killed him, and it's asking the public for help once again.

According to FOX Carolina, Ballard was serving as an informant to the sheriff's office at the time of his death, but officials say that role is not believed to be connected to the murder. Investigators instead point to the physical evidence at the scene: bullets recovered from several walls of the apartment and signs that the unit had been ransacked, details that point them toward robbery as a possible motive rather than retaliation tied to his cooperation with law enforcement. SpotCrime's cold case records place the discovery of Ballard's body at 302 Willow Lakes Road on August 4, 1991, adding a specific date to a case deputies have described only as an August 1991 killing.

The apartment complex itself, built in 1986 according to property records reviewed by Homes.com, was only five years old when Ballard was killed there. Located at 2900 Reidville Road, the single-floor multi-family complex remains an active rental property today, a small but telling detail for a case that has otherwise sat cold for decades.

Why the Case Is Resurfacing Now

The renewed push for tips is a public appeal. The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office has used social media to spotlight unresolved cold cases, and Ballard's case has received renewed attention decades after the trail went cold.

The sheriff's office's Cold Case Unit is led by Sgt. Tony Brown and Sgt. Jon Guest, who take tips through direct phone contact and a dedicated email address, according to notices the department has posted publicly. Anyone with information about Ballard's murder is asked to contact Sgt. Tony Brown at [email protected].

A County That's Grown Since 1991

Reaching potential witnesses is complicated by just how much Spartanburg County has changed since Ballard's death. The county's population has grown to roughly 348,000 residents as of 2024, per Data USA. The sheriff's office is asking the public for information relevant to a killing that happened in 1991.

Ballard's case is not the only homicide from that stretch of Spartanburg County history. The 1989 shooting of Matthew Griffin and the 1990 murder of Madelyn Cox Thomas are also part of that history.

The Broader Cold Case Picture

Ballard's file also sits inside a broader challenge: resolving homicide cases that remain open for decades. The case also illustrates why investigators continue to seek information from the public long after a killing.

Firearms are part of the case record here: investigators recovered bullets from the walls of Ballard's apartment in 1991. South Carolina's Law Enforcement Division operates a state crime lab, according to reporting from Police1.

For now, the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office says the case remains open, and it is counting on the passage of time — and the county's changed population — to eventually produce the tip that cracks it.