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A snapshot of Central Florida cold cases

Law enforcement seeks input from community to help families find closure

Dawn Petterson (left) and Laralee Spear (right). Both women's deaths are cold cases under investigation in Central Florida. (Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

ORLANDO, Fla. – There are nearly 340,000 unsolved homicide and manslaughter cases dating from 1965 to 2022, according to Project Cold Case. According to the Florida Cold Case Investigations Unit, Florida represents 6% of the total with more than 20,000 cases.

Here is a look at cases in Central Florida and where you can find other unresolved crimes per county. News 6 has reached out to the sheriff’s offices across Central Florida, and we will update the list as we receive the responses.

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Flagler County:

Dawn Petterson (Flagler County Sheriff's Office)

September will mark 25 years since the homicide of Dawn Petterson. Dawn’s body was found shot in an area now known as Squash Bloom Trail in Palm Coast in 1999.

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office keeps a list of all active cold cases in the county here.

Marion County:

Roberta Johnson has been missing since April 26, 1999. Marion county detectives says it's a case that's haunted them over the years. (Marion County Sheriff's Office)

It has been 25 years since the death of 38-year-old Roberta Johnson. According to the sheriff’s office, the single mother was a middle school teacher who served in the military and was nine months pregnant at the time of her death. In a 2016 Facebook post by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the agency described it as “a case that haunts the detectives who worked it then and those who work it now.”

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office keeps a list of cold cases here.

Orange County:

Skeletal remains in Orange County identified as 48-year-old Richard Wick. (Orange County Sheriff's Office)

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office recently identified the skeletal remains of a homicide victim found near Apopka in 1993.

The sheriff’s office partnered with Othrams Labs and identified the remains as 48-year-old Richard Wick.

Those who know any details or information about Richard Wick are encouraged to contact the sheriff’s office Cold Case Unit at (407) 836-4357 or to call Crimeline.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office keeps a list of cold cases here.

Seminole County

The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office has 61 open and unsolved cases.

According to the sheriff’s office, the cases date back to 1968 and include missing persons, unidentified remains, and homicides in differing stages of the investigation.

Volusia County:

Laralee Spear. (Image: Volusia County Sheriff's Office) (2021 WKMG News 6)

The Volusia Sheriff’s Office said there are about 30 unsolved homicide cases dating back to 1967.

Last month, the sheriff doubled the reward to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever killed 15-year-old Laralee Spear in 1994.

This year marked 30 years since her body was found just 200 yards from her home along Deerfoot Road.

The Volusia Sheriff’s Office keeps a list of unsolved murders here.


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