The Unsolved Murder of Amber Berbiglia: Scene, Suspects, and Status

The Amber Berbiglia murder remains unsolved more than twelve years after the 23-year-old aspiring fashion designer was beaten to death on May 3, 2013, under the Robert Edge Parkway overpass near North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. No one has been charged, and the case sits in the Horry County Police Department’s cold case file alongside 56 other unresolved homicides.¹²

What Happened on May 3, 2013

Berbiglia spent the afternoon running errands alone in the North Myrtle Beach area. She got a haircut around noon, returned clothing at a Ross Dress for Less around 1:45 p.m., stopped at a Murphy USA gas station about five minutes later, and paid her cable bill at a Time Warner office at roughly 2:11 p.m. A business camera on Main Street in the Ocean Drive area captured her shortly after.¹³

Between 3:00 and 3:15 p.m., a neighbor at her Little River apartment reported hearing her shout, “What are you doing in here?” Investigators initially doubted the account because it seemed inconsistent with the broader timeline, but it has since been treated as part of the known sequence.⁴³

At 4:12 p.m., two teenagers riding ATVs on the dirt road beneath the Robert Edge Parkway overpass came across her SUV, stuck in mud with the engine running and the driver’s door open. They initially passed it, then turned back and found Berbiglia lying face down outside the vehicle. Her body was still warm when officers arrived, indicating the attack had happened shortly before the discovery.⁴¹

How She Died and What the Scene Showed

An autopsy determined that Berbiglia died of blunt force trauma, struck twice in the head with injuries that produced two skull fractures. Reports indicated she was beaten with a large boulder. Early accounts had suggested a shooting, but investigators corrected that.⁴⁵

There were no signs of sexual assault, and toxicology was negative for drugs and alcohol. Robbery was ruled out as a motive because her purse and money were still inside the SUV. Her mother later said bruises and cuts on Berbiglia’s arms had to be covered at her wake, consistent with a struggle.⁶¹⁷

According to her family, highway camera footage showed the SUV at one point with an unidentified person in the passenger seat. Investigators have never publicly identified that individual.⁸

Items from the vehicle were sent to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which used its M-Vac DNA collection system on the evidence. Horry County Police Captain Gregory Lent confirmed the use of the M-Vac but declined to say which items were tested or whether any DNA results were obtained.⁴

Who Was Investigated and Cleared

Berbiglia’s fiancé, Jose Soler, a college student from Spain she had met while studying in London, was cleared on what police described as an “airtight alibi”: he was in Europe at the time. The couple had been together for two years and were six weeks from their wedding. Her immediate family members were also ruled out.⁸⁷

Police also questioned and cleared a man captured on surveillance standing behind Berbiglia in line at the Time Warner office around 1:30 p.m., whom the family said had looked at her in what they called an “aggressive manner.” Detectives explored possible associations with two other individuals, but no charges or public identifications came of those inquiries.⁸

Where the Case Stands Now

North Myrtle Beach officers responded to the initial 911 call, but the Horry County Police Department took over because the scene fell outside city limits. Detective Jonathan Martin handled the early stages within the Criminal Investigation Division.⁴⁷

Three months after the killing, with no arrests, the department moved the case to its cold case file. Horry County has no dedicated cold case team; two detectives inside the Criminal Investigation Division work the backlog of 57 unsolved homicides, the oldest from 1978.¹²

Captain Lent, who now heads the division, has said detectives continue to revisit potential witnesses and recanvass the area. “There is at least somebody out there who particularly knows what happened to Amber Berbiglia,” Lent said in 2025, urging that person to come forward.⁹

Berbiglia’s mother, Michelle Robinson, hosts an annual memorial at the overpass and has told The Sun News she believes evidence was not collected properly at the scene. A combined reward of up to $6,000 is available for information leading to an arrest, with $1,000 from CrimeStoppers of the Lowcountry and the remainder from the family. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Horry County Police Department at 843-915-8477.⁴¹⁰⁹

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Solve the Case. Amber Marie Berbiglia
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The Sun News. Horry County Cold Case Investigations
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The Sun News. Amber Berbiglia Unsolved Homicide
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WBTW. No Arrests in Three-Year-Old Horry County Murder Case of Amber Berbiglia
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WMBF News. Exclusive: New Details in Amber Berbiglia’s Murder
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True Crime News. Who Killed Amber Berbiglia
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WMBF News. Who Would Do This to Her? Grand Strand Mother Seeks Answers in Daughter’s Murder
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WMBF News. Police Set Up Crime Scene on Robert Edge Parkway