SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) The second episode of Unsolved Upstate takes viewers back to a case that has weighed on a Spartanburg family and law enforcement for nearly 35 years: the 1991 killing of 43-year-old Kenneth “Toby” Wynn, a hardworking cab driver who was found shot to death inside his vehicle on December 28, 1991.
In the episode, 7NEWS sits down with Captain Mark Hillers from the Spartanburg Police Department and Wynn’s brother, Ernest Wynn, to unpack what happened that night and discuss what’s still unknown.
The 13-Minute Window
Wynn was working the night shift for Yellow Cab Deluxe, a company, at the time, owned by local businessman Charles Atchison. At 7:27 p.m., police said the company’s dispatch received a call from someone who specifically requested Wynn’s cab number. Investigators said Wynn was requested to pick up a passenger on the north side of town near a store onVernon Street.
Thirteen minutes later, at 7:40 p.m., 911 was called. Police said the caller reported a taxi crash on Ansel Street. It was only a few-minute drive from the original pick-up location. Inside the cab, officers found Wynn dead from a gunshot wound. According to investigators, the driver’s side door and rear passenger door were open, and it appeared the vehicle had come to a stop after it struck a tree.
Was Robbery a Motive?
Wynn was known to keep his fares organized by bill size. Investigators said smaller denominations were typically placed in his shirt pocket, larger ones in his pants, and his personal money was stored in a wallet. A bag he typically carried was missing from the cab, leading investigators to believe robbery could have been a motive. Witnesses claimed they saw someone leaning into the cab and then running away toward Church Street.
Digging into Leads
Police said the initial 911 call came from a house on South Church Street, a short distance from where Wynn was found dead. Over the years, several leads were investigated…