Top Ten Unsolved Cold Cases in Florida: Sunshine State is Not All Sunshine
Top Ten Unsolved Cold Cases in Florida
Top Ten Unsolved Cold Cases in Florida That Continue to Haunt Investigators
Florida’s sunny beaches and tourist attractions mask a darker reality – the Sunshine State holds some of America’s most perplexing unsolved mysteries. With over 20,000 unsolved homicides dating back decades, Florida’s cold cases represent a complex tapestry of violence, mystery, and unanswered questions that continue to torment families and challenge investigators.
From serial killers who may have started their reign of terror earlier than known, to mysterious disappearances in broad daylight, these cases have become part of Florida’s criminal folklore. Here are ten of the most compelling unsolved cold cases that continue to demand justice.
1. The Gainesville Student Murders: A Shadow Connection?
While Danny Rolling, the “Gainesville Ripper,” was executed in 2006 for the brutal 1990 murders of five college students, questions persist about his potential involvement in earlier crimes. A chilling development emerged when the family of David Yeager, a 17-year-old who vanished from Shreveport, Louisiana in 1971, discovered that Rolling grew up just blocks from where Yeager was last seen.
Rolling’s later admission to a 1989 triple murder in Shreveport has led investigators to question whether his violent spree began decades earlier. David’s family continues to push for answers, noting that Rolling would have been 17 at the time – the same age as their missing loved one. This potential connection remains one of Florida’s most disturbing unsolved mysteries, as Rolling took any additional secrets to his grave.
2. Jennifer Kesse: The Vanishing at Millenia
On January 24, 2006, 24-year-old Jennifer Kesse disappeared from her Orlando condominium near the Mall at Millenia in what has become one of Central Florida’s most frustrating cases. Despite leaving behind her car, purse, and cell phone, Jennifer vanished without a trace after calling her boyfriend that morning.
The case gained national attention when surveillance footage captured a figure in white clothing parking her car and walking away, but the person’s face was obscured by a fence post in every frame – a maddening twist of fate that has left investigators with more questions than answers. Nearly two decades later, new DNA evidence has reignited hope, with investigators recently announcing they’ve narrowed their list of persons of interest. Her parents continue their relentless search, working with a production company on a documentary to keep Jennifer’s story alive.
3. The Boca Raton Mall Murders: A Serial Killer’s Hunting Ground
The Boca Raton Town Center Mall became a hunting ground for an unknown predator in 2007, when three attacks occurred within nine months, leaving two women dead and a mother and child traumatized. Randi Gorenberg, 52, was found shot to death after being abducted from the mall parking lot in March. In August, a woman and her 2-year-old son were kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to withdraw money from an ATM before being released.
The horror culminated in December when Nancy Bochicchio, 47, and her 7-year-old daughter Joey were found dead in their idling SUV, still handcuffed and goggled. The killer used identical methods in the latter two cases – blacked-out swim goggles, handcuffs, and duct tape – suggesting the same perpetrator. Despite DNA evidence and surveillance footage, the cases remain unsolved, with retired FBI agents believing the killer may still be “out there.”
4. Amy Billig: The Hitchhiker’s Nightmare
Seventeen-year-old Amy Billig vanished on March 5, 1974, while hitchhiking to her father’s art studio in Coconut Grove, becoming one of Florida’s most enduring missing persons cases. What began as a typical afternoon turned into a nightmare that has spanned five decades.
The investigation took a sinister turn when Amy’s family received harassing calls for over twenty years from a man claiming she was held captive by a sex ring. The caller was eventually identified as Henry Johnson Blair, a U.S. Customs Department employee, who was convicted of harassment but maintained he never knew Amy. However, Amy’s diary mentioned a man named “Hank” who wanted to take her to South America – Blair’s nickname and he was being sent to Argentina for work. A deathbed confession from a convicted murderer claimed Amy was killed by the Outlaws motorcycle gang and thrown into the Everglades, but her body was never found.
5. The South Florida Serial Murders: Forgotten Victims
Between 1997 and 2001, at least six women were murdered in South Florida in cases that may be connected to a serial killer targeting vulnerable women. The victims included former Playboy Playmate Star Stowe, found strangled behind a Coral Springs pharmacy, and Sandra Kay Walters, discovered nude behind a Palm Beach County adult bookstore.
The killer appeared to target women involved in prostitution or struggling with addiction, leaving their bodies in shopping centers and vacant lots. A unique dark-blue towel with monogrammed letters “JSM” was found with one victim, suggesting a possible signature. Despite evidence collection and task force investigations, these murders remain unsolved, with the killer potentially still at large.
6. Laralee Spear: The Girl Next Door
Fifteen-year-old Laralee Spear’s body was found just 200 yards from her home along Deerfoot Road in Volusia County in 1994. The high school student had been murdered and left in a location she knew well – adding to the tragedy and mystery of her death.
This year marked the 30th anniversary of her murder, with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office doubling the reward to $100,000 for information leading to an arrest. Despite advances in forensic technology and renewed investigative efforts, Laralee’s killer has never been identified, leaving her family to wonder what happened to the girl who should have been safe so close to home.
7. The Killer Clown Case: Justice Delayed
On May 26, 1990, Marlene Warren answered her door in Wellington to find a clown carrying flowers and balloons. “Oh, how sweet,” were her last words before the clown shot her point-blank in the face. The killer, wearing an orange wig and painted smile, calmly walked to a white Chrysler LeBaron and drove away.
Sheila Keen-Warren, who was having an affair with Marlene’s husband Michael, was finally arrested in 2017 through DNA evidence. Despite pleading guilty to second-degree murder in 2023, she was released after serving only 18 months due to sentencing laws and time already served. The case, while technically solved, remains controversial as Keen-Warren maintains her innocence, and Michael Warren was never charged despite being the initial suspect.
8. The Crystal Brodie Mystery: Missing, Then Found
When 56-year-old Crystal Brodie disappeared after leaving work on November 18, 1983, her family hoped for her safe return. Twelve days later, four teenagers discovered her partially clothed body in a wooded area off Lake Emma Road in Lake Mary.
Her purse was found at a construction site in Longwood, while her vehicle was discovered partially submerged in Boat Lake off Highway 17-92. The scattered evidence suggested a struggle, but investigators could never piece together what happened to Crystal during those twelve days or who was responsible for her death.
9. The Bear Lake Terrace Tragedy: Multiple Victims, One Killer?
On June 26, 1978, two women were found dead in separate incidents in Seminole County, both connected to Bear Lake Terrace. Evelyne Rogers Dennis-Beske, 35, was discovered floating face-down in her swimming pool, while Patricia Lucille Smith, also 35, was found strangled in her bedroom.
The proximity and timing of these deaths raised suspicions about a connection, but investigators could never establish a link between the two cases. Both women lived alone and had no known enemies, making their murders particularly perplexing. The cases remain separate but equally haunting for investigators who believe the same perpetrator may have been responsible.
10. The Georgia Crews Case: A Child’s Final Walk
Twelve-year-old Georgia Crews disappeared on April 8, 1980, while walking to a convenience store just a mile and a half from her Montverde home. Eight days later, her body was found behind the K-Mart Plaza on Highway 17-92 in Fern Park.
Georgia had been stabbed to death, and her body showed signs of a struggle. The location where she was found was approximately 30 miles from where she disappeared, suggesting she was abducted and transported. Despite extensive media coverage and community involvement, no one has ever been charged with Georgia’s murder, making it one of Florida’s most heartbreaking unsolved cases.
The Ongoing Search for Justice
These ten cases represent just a fraction of Florida’s unsolved mysteries, but they share common threads that continue to haunt investigators: vulnerable victims, mysterious circumstances, and the passage of time that makes solving them increasingly difficult. However, advances in DNA technology, forensic science, and the relentless dedication of cold case units offer hope that these mysteries may one day be solved.
If you have information about any of these cases, please contact the appropriate law enforcement agencies or Crime Stoppers. Sometimes, even the smallest detail can break a case wide open and bring long-awaited justice to victims and their families.
For more information about Florida’s cold cases and how you can help, visit the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s cold case website or contact your local law enforcement agency.
Do you have information about these or other cold cases? Contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477) or submit tips anonymously online. You may be eligible for a reward and could help bring closure to grieving families.