The Unsolved Murder of Chuck Porter: A Rest Stop Horror on I-85
On a quiet Sunday afternoon, September 26, 1993, the serene hum of Interstate 85 in Cleveland County, North Carolina, was shattered by a brutal crime. Charles Alvin “Chuck” Porter, a 39-year-old employee of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), was found dead in the utility room of a rest stop, his body bound and a gunshot wound piercing his chest. Witnesses reported seeing two young men fleeing the scene, speeding away in a dark Volkswagen toward I-85 southbound. Yet, more than three decades later, as of March 16, 2025, no arrests have been made, and the murder of Chuck Porter remains an enduring mystery etched into the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office Unsolved Homicides list.
A Day of Duty Turns Deadly
Chuck Porter was no stranger to the I-85 rest stop near mile marker 10, just south of Shelby. As an NCDOT worker, his job included maintaining the facility—a routine task that placed him at the rest area that fateful day. Known as a dependable and hardworking man, Chuck was likely going about his duties when he encountered his killers. The exact sequence of events remains unclear, but what is known is chilling: sometime that afternoon, he was overpowered, tied up, and shot execution-style in the utility room, a small, nondescript space meant for storage, not slaughter.
The discovery of his body came swiftly, though details of who found him—perhaps a fellow worker, a traveler, or law enforcement—are not widely publicized. What is certain is the scene that greeted responders: Chuck, lifeless, his hands or body secured with bindings, a single gunshot wound to the chest marking the end of his life. The precision of the act suggested intent, not impulse, raising immediate questions about why a rest stop worker became a target.
A Fleeting Glimpse of the Killers
Hope for a quick resolution flickered briefly with witness accounts. Travelers at the rest stop reported seeing two young Black men fleeing the area in a dark Volkswagen, heading south on I-85 toward South Carolina. The Sheriff’s Office acted fast, circulating sketches of the suspects based on these descriptions—crude renderings of faces that might hold the key to justice. Yet, despite the sketches being distributed across the region, no viable leads emerged. The Volkswagen vanished into the stream of highway traffic, and with it, the trail of the killers grew cold.
The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, then under Sheriff Bill Beam, launched a full investigation. In 1993, forensic technology was limited—DNA analysis was in its infancy, and surveillance cameras were not yet ubiquitous at rural rest stops. Investigators likely combed the utility room for fingerprints, fibers, or shell casings, but no public reports detail what, if anything, was found. The bindings used to tie Chuck offered a potential clue, yet without a suspect to match them to, they remained a silent testament to the crime’s brutality.
A Man Remembered
Chuck Porter was more than a victim—he was a man with a life abruptly stolen. At 39, he was likely a fixture in his community, perhaps a husband, father, or friend, though specific details about his personal life are scarce in public records. His role with NCDOT placed him in service to the public, maintaining the arteries of travel that connect Cleveland County to the wider world. His death left a void, not just for his loved ones, but for those who relied on the safety of those rest stops—a safety he could not secure for himself that day.
The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office has kept his case active, emphasizing that it is not a “cold case” but one under continual review. Sheriff Alan Norman, who has led the office since 2002, has spoken broadly about the commitment to resolving such cases, telling The Shelby Star in 2015, “With some hard work, maybe we can bring these people some closure.” For Chuck’s family, that closure remains elusive, a wound reopened each year as September 26 passes without answers.
Theories in the Shadows
With no arrests and limited public updates, speculation has inevitably taken root. Was Chuck’s murder a random act of violence—a robbery gone wrong at a rest stop known for its transient visitors? The bindings and single shot suggest premeditation, not panic, casting doubt on a spontaneous crime. Could he have stumbled upon something illicit—drug trafficking or a deal gone sour—along the I-85 corridor, a known route for such activities? Or was it personal, a targeted hit masked as a highway crime?
The two men in the Volkswagen fuel the most enduring theory: a pair of killers, perhaps drifters or locals, who saw an opportunity and acted with ruthless efficiency. The direction they fled—south toward South Carolina—hints at a planned escape, possibly across state lines where jurisdiction blurs. Yet, without a license plate, a clearer description, or a recovered vehicle, this lead has proven maddeningly intangible.
A Case That Persists
As decades have passed, the Chuck Porter case has become a fixture in Cleveland County’s unsolved homicide roster, alongside names like Deasia Washington and Timothy Justin Grant. The Sheriff’s Office has revisited the case periodically, leveraging what advancements they can—reexamining evidence with modern techniques or appealing anew for witnesses. A tip line (704-484-4888) and Cleveland County Crime Stoppers (704-481-8477) remain open, offering anonymity and the promise of reward, yet the silence persists.
The I-85 rest stop, still operational today, stands as a quiet monument to that Sunday in 1993. Travelers pause there unaware of the blood once spilled, the utility room now just another part of the landscape. For investigators, it’s a crime scene frozen in time, a puzzle with missing pieces—bindings, a bullet, and two faces in a Volkswagen that slipped into oblivion.
A Call for Resolution
Chuck Porter’s murder is a stark chapter in North Carolina’s true crime narrative—a tale of violence on the open road, where the anonymity of travel cloaks the guilty. For true crime enthusiasts, it’s a case that begs for scrutiny: Who were those two men, and what drove them to kill a man simply doing his job? For his family, it’s a plea for justice, a demand that his death not be forgotten amid the hum of I-85’s endless traffic.
As of March 16, 2025, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office vows to keep searching, buoyed by the hope that someone, somewhere, remembers that day. Until then, Chuck Porter’s story endures—a rest stop horror unresolved, a life taken, and a mystery that refuses to fade into the highway’s horizon.