Family struggles to heal as Myrtle Beach Mall shooting victim's killer still at large

Billboards seeking information on the killing of Frances “Mae” Davis, who was shot and killed at the Myrtle Beach Mall on Jan. 8, are up just days after the reward for details on her murder doubled.

Her family still struggles to heal without any answers nearly a month later.

“We don’t have any closure,” Michele Gagne, one of Davis’ daughters, said two days after her mother’s funeral in the Little River home they once shared.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives offered a reward of $5,000 for information on Davis’ killing soon after she was found shot in the parking lot the day before her 79th birthday. On Monday, the ATF announced they were increasing the reward to $10,000 as authorities continue to hunt for her killer.

Questions still swirl around the shooting, which happened at 12:30 p.m. near the J.C. Penney store at the Myrtle Beach Mall, especially since Davis is described by her daughters as a kind person who would have given anything to anyone who needed it.

On that day, Davis waited in the car as her daughter Shelly Wells went inside J.C. Penney for about 15 minutes for a quick purchase, but when Wells came back out she found her mother slumped over and shot.

“I still can’t believe it’s real. I want to wake up from the nightmare,” Wells said.

Horry County police are working leads, but need more information and are calling on the public to contact them with any details that may help with the homicide investigation at 843-915-8477.

“We’re asking anybody who thinks they may have seen something to call us even if they think it was very minor,” said Lt. Raul Denis, Horry County police spokesman.

Police said they believe someone may have seen something important, but dismissed it as insignificant, and want patrons who were there that day to call with any information on what they saw.

“The killer is still out there, and if you were at the mall that day and saw anything at all, whether you think it’s important or not, call the police and let them decide if it’s important,” Gagne said.

The family has played an active role in spreading news about the reward and sharing the Horry County police tip line number. Family and friends raised $1,500 to acquire billboard space, but now plan to use the money, which was raised through a Gofundme page, to go toward mailing out as many flyers as possible as Coastal Outdoor Advertising has donated several billboard spaces.

Messages on six billboards ask the question who shot Davis, advertise reward money, and share the Horry County police tip line phone number. The billboards are located near the Myrtle Beach Mall, near the Coastal Grand Mall, as well as two other locations on U.S. 17 Bypass, on S.C. 544 and one on Kings Road.

Authorities quickly dubbed the shooting an “isolated incident,” and Denis said it was given that classification because “nothing similar has ever occurred.”

“It’s isolated in the fact that an older woman sitting in a car was somehow victimized in the middle of the day,” Denis said.

About two weeks earlier, there was a purse snatching at the Myrtle Beach Mall in the J.C. Penney parking lot at about 10:30 a.m. Christmas Eve in which a 78-year-old woman was pushed to the ground by a man wearing all black, who placed his foot on her cheek and took her wallet and car keys, according to an Horry County police report.

A follow-up investigation has been launched to determine whether the two incidents are related, Denis said.

Joe Perl, Myrtle Beach Mall general manager and vice president Wednesday, said he couldn’t get into detail on how the incident impacted the mall because the police investigation is still ongoing, but said: “The safety of our shoppers and employees is our top priority, and as part of our commitment to promoting a safe shopping environment, we maintain a highly trained staff that’s prepared to respond to a variety of emergency situations. We take numerous proactive measures to coordinate with local officials, and we do that as a form of best practices.”

Denis said Horry County police have stepped up their patrol efforts around the mall in response to the shooting.

Gagne and Wells said they’ll continue to spread information encouragingsomeone to come forward with a confession or helpful tips until those responsible are caught.

“Give us our answers. Give us the closure we need. If you’re a friend of theirs, think about what if it was your mom, your aunt, your sister, or your grandmother,” Gagne said.

The pair also wants to spread the word that people should always be aware of their surroundings when they’re out and to not let their guard down.

The shooting has sharpened the eyes of both women who said when they go out, they’re now much more aware of their surroundings and instinctually study those around them.

They also have trouble eating and sleeping since their mother’s killing and having a funeral service on Jan. 28 for her hasn’t helped bring them the healing and closure they crave. Both women said they will be involved in the case for the rest of their lives if need be, but have faith that Horry County police will bring the murderer or murderers to justice.

Gagne also said Horry County police told her the case has impacted them, as well, and said at least three Horry County police detectives were at their mother’s service while not on duty.

The sisters said they’ve had an outpouring of community support and said they didn’t recognize about half of the roughly 100 people who attended their mother’s funeral.

“There were people from the community there who were just upset about what happened,” Gagne said.

They requested that people wear purple for Davis that day and said people from around the country posted pictures of themselves donning purple for Davis on social media and said local businesses have also put up flyers sharing the police tip line and advertising the reward.

In the meantime, Davis’ ashes now rest in an urn along with her late husband’s, who preceded her in death by about 12 years, the sisters said. Some also reside in smaller urns with family members, including heart shaped urns that say “Mamaw” for each of her five grandchildren.

“She was a very loving, giving person who would go out of her way to help a stranger,” Wells said of mother.

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Family struggles to heal as Myrtle Beach Mall shooting victim's killer still at large."