From 1965 to 2021, there have been nearly 340,000 homicide and manslaughter cases that have gone unsolved, according to Project: Cold Case.
As of 2020, the project’s data listed Florida as having a clearance rate of only 66% — meaning nearly 20,000 cold cases were left without a solid conclusion.
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Many of these cases are made even more difficult to solve due to the lack of identifiers for many of the victims.
However, detectives have been able to make progress in identifying victims in several cold cases during recent years. Below are some of those cases and where they stand now.
Nov. 1984 — Woman’s body discovered in Orange County neighborhood
Last year, Orange County deputies got one step closer to identifying a woman whose body was discovered in a local neighborhood.
This cold case stems back to November 1984, when the woman was found near Frank and Liberty streets. Investigators said she was likely shot, and her body was dumped at the spot.
In 2022, detectives made headway in the case after they managed to create digital renderings of her face and clothes, though they have yet to conclusively determine who she was.
Anyone with information on this case is urged to contact Crimeline to submit an anonymous tip at 800-423-8477. Alternatively, tipsters can email the cold case team at OCSOColdCase@ocfl.net.
April 1990 — Skeleton of ‘Jane Doe’ in Ormond Beach
In April 1990, the skeletal remains of a woman were found in a wooded area east of Clyde Morris Boulevard in Ormond Beach, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators believe the woman — nicknamed “Jane Doe” due to the fact that detectives weren’t able to identify her — had been killed three-to-eight weeks prior to the discovery.
While there weren’t any personal items or clothes to be found, detectives continued trying to figure out to whom the remains belonged. A digital reconstruction of what her face might have looked like was initially created and released in 2015 by a forensic artist to provide some kind of clue.
However, in September 2023, detectives and forensic genealogists finally managed to pin her as Roberta “Bobbie” Lynn Weber.
Detectives contacted the victim’s sister in Missouri, who said she hadn’t seen her sister since 1989 when Weber divorced her husband and disappeared. The victim’s sister said she believed Weber was dead or living in California.
Three of the victim’s children also confirmed they had not seen their mother since 1989. Officials said the victim’s sister and the victim’s daughter provided DNA samples, which matched Weber.
Investigators are still searching for suspects in the case. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Major Case Unit at 386-254-1537 or email ColdCaseUnitTips@volusiasheriff.gov.
Jan. 1993 — Basketball leads boys to skeletal remains
This cold case hails back to January 1993, when skeletal remains were found in the woods along Sea Ship Place in Palm Coast.
According to deputies, two young boys discovered the remains after their basketball rolled into the woods, prompting them to chase after it.
In February — more than 30 years later — Flagler deputies released an image of what the victim may have looked like based on a reconstruction of the victim’s skull.
The woman was confirmed to be linked to two descendants, George Washington Coleman and Clarissa Minnick, from the Edgefield or Aiken area in South Carolina.
The Flagler County Cold Case Unit has contacted at least 30 possible relatives, hoping to create an extended family tree. Despite extensive searches through DNA testing, the woman’s identity remains unknown.
Anyone with information on this case is urged to contact the sheriff’s office at 386-313-4911 or CrimeStoppers of Northeast Florida at 888-277-8477.
May 1995 — Strangled mother discovered wearing only underwear
This body was identified in December 2022 as Maria Telles-Gonzalez, a Kissimmee woman who was found dead in South Carolina.
Investigators said that her body was discovered on May 24, 1995, in a drainage ditch in Yemassee, South Carolina.
According to Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sheriff Investigator Bob Bromage, she was at their family home the day after she got back from a trip to Puerto Rico. Her kids went to school, leaving her at home alone with her husband. When her children got home from school, their mother was gone.
At the time her body was found, she had no possessions on her, only wearing underwear. On top of that, no one had reported her missing for nearly 30 years.
Despite the initial lack of identifiers, Bromage was eventually able to use DNA technology and genealogy research to glean Telles-Gonzalez’s identity.
In September, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced that a man known as “Carlos” — possibly an Orlando resident — could be a witness in the case.
He is described as being a Hispanic male standing between 5 feet, 8 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches tall. People familiar with Carlos reported he “spoke Spanish and very good English,” according to the FDLE.
Anyone with information on this case is urged to contact Bromage at 843-816-8013 or via email at robertb@bcgov.net.
Sept. 1997 — Boat lover bound, dumped in local waterway
In August, Flagler deputies and forensic genealogists managed to identify a body found floating in the Intracoastal around 26 years ago.
The body was identified as Robert Bruce McPhail, a man who was 58 years old when he was bound, shot, stabbed multiple times and dumped in the water not far from Sea Ray Drive in September 1997.
Investigators were able to construct a facial approximation of McPhail in 1997, though no photos were ever recovered to show what he looked like, deputies said.
A news release from the sheriff’s office notes that McPhail went by “Bruce” and had a passion for boats. Originally from the Winnipeg area of Canada, he moved to South Florida sometime in the mid-1990s.
Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact TIPS@flaglersheriff.com, or Detective Sarah Scalia at SScalia@flaglersheriff.com or 386-313-4911.
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