Rita Y. Shuler, a true crime author and retired State Law Enforcement Division forensic photographer with close local ties, will be at The Oaks at 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 14, for a book signing.

Shuler, a native of the Providence community, relates several sensational local murder cases in her third book, "Small-town Slayings in South Carolina." The five high-profile cases were selected by the author, based on her 24-year career with SLED, as well as childhood remembrances.

"It's actually sponsored by the Bookworms Book Club, the book club here at The Oaks," said Linda Biswell, director of campus life. "We are interested in Ms. Shuler's book, and we thought it would be good to have a book signing here. ... We call it a 'Meet the Artist,' and she'll speak."

The event will be open to the community.

Shuler's book chronicles the gruesome 1955 ax attack on William and Mary Lee Stroman, a prominent Orangeburg couple in their Boulevard home; the 1974 abduction and brutal murder of Nancy Linett Amaker, a young St. Matthews mother; and the ongoing investigation into the mysterious 1955 shooting death of Santee businessman, Amos Bowers. Also included are accounts of the unsolved homicide of young Orangeburg lab technician Elaine Fogle, who was found dead in her Walterboro home 30 years ago, and the case of a Sumter woman, whose 1989 murder was finally solved through DNA evidence some 15 years later.

"I have a passion for the victims," Shuler said in an earlier interview. "People still do remember their loved ones."

The daughter of the late Mike and Olive Shuler -- her father was a farmer and long-time employee with the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service office -- Shuler grew up in rural Orangeburg County between Elloree and Holly Hill. Her brother, Irvin Shuler, and his family still live in the old home place, she said. After graduating from Holly Hill High School and X-ray technician school at the old Orangeburg hospital, Shuler worked for several years in a Columbia hospital.

"That was until 1977, when I changed professions and went to SLED as a forensic photographer," she said. "And shortly thereafter, I went through the police academy. I'm a certified police officer."

After her retirement, Shuler wrote "Carolina Crimes," which included a dozen case files, and "Murder in the Midlands -- Larry Gene Bell and the 28 Days That Shook South Carolina."

You must be logged in to comment.