Malinowski was last seen on August 25, 2013, after playing basketball with friends in Aynor, South Carolina. He dropped one friend off in Conway before returning to Aynor with another, staying at a residence on 7th Avenue until 11:30 p.m. He then left to get food and go home. His last known contact was a phone call shortly after midnight on August 26. Eight days later, police found Malinowski’s car, a dark purple/burgundy 1996 Chevrolet Beretta, burned in a wooded area off Valley Forge Road near Aynor. He has not been seen since. In December 2014, Christopher Anfony Brown and Javon Dion Gibbs were charged with his kidnapping and murder. Both were released on bond but later rearrested for other violent crimes, leading to their bonds being revoked. In July 2023, the charges were dismissed after the court ruled cell phone data inadmissible, leaving the prosecution unable to prove its case. The South Carolina Supreme Court upheld the decision. Malinowski’s body has never been found.