Cold Case Homicides

#18-19582

On Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at approximately 6:25pm the body of Michael Brooks was found in a vacant lot by children playing in the area. Brooks’ death was a result of him being shot. Investigators learned that Brooks had arrived in Gainesville recently and had been hanging in the area of 1700 NE 8th Ave since his arrival. Brooks was likely murdered in the early morning hours of October 23rd.

#13-24297

On Friday, December 6th, 2013 at approximately 2:55 pm, Patrol Officers responded to the wooded area in the 3000 block of E. University Ave. just east of Cone Park. This area was used by several “homeless” campers with tens and campsites set up in the woods. Adkins partially decomposed body was discovered hidden under a tarp by one of the homeless residents of that area not far from Adkins campsite. The Medical Examiner determined that Adkins had been murdered by a gunshot to the head. Adkins was last seen about a week before this discovery.

#13-08970

On Sunday, May 5th, 2013 at approximately 1215 pm, Patrol Officers responded to 1628 SW 42nd St in reference to a medical emergency. Upon arrival, Dyer was located in the bedroom of a mobile home, where she lived and was already deceased. Investigation reveled Dyer was killed during the night and left there by her assailant. Dyer was well known in the neighborhood and seen alive the night before.

#11-17259

On Sunday, December 11, 2011 at approximately 11:50 pm, Patrol Officers responded to Archer Woods Apartments, located at 3020 Archer Rd. A resident of the complex heard a male scream “Help me” from the second floor balcony of apartment #18 and called 911. When Officers arrived they found the door to apartment #18 unlocked and a blood trail leading to the second floor of the apartment. Upon checking a bedroom they located Jones on the floor suffering from a stab wound. EMS transported Jones to Shands where he died.

#11-12868

On Saturday, June 25, 2011 at approximately 7:30 pm, the body of Angel Harris, a 31 year old white female was discovered, hidden behind a row of bushes on the side of the Sun Center – 235 S. Main St. Evidence indicated Harris had been strangled the night before. She was a known drug user. Harris was last seen alive in the area of the St. Francis House on the night of her death.

#11-06375

On Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 at approximately 11:30 pm Patrol Officers responded to a Medical Emergency at 3205 SW 26th Ter. #B (Phoenix neighborhood). The investigation revealed that Meldau, who was renovating the unoccupied unit, had been shot and killed.

Update: On January 11, 2016, the 8th Circuit Grand Jury returned an indictment of 1st Degree Murder on 26 year old Raymond A. Profit.

#10-16515

On Monday, August 9, 2010 at approximately 10:30 pm, Officers responded to 1421 NE 20th Pl in reference to a 911 call of a person shot. When Officers arrived they found Williams on the front porch of the residence. Williams had been shot and was still alive. Officers administered First Aid and CPR until EMS arrived. Williams was pronounced deceased at Shand’s Hospital. The investigation revealed that Williams was involved in some sort of struggle on the porch and was shot by the assailant. Witness observed a black male running from the residence and the investigation revealed there may have been additional suspects involved.

#10-00208

On Monday, January 4, 2010 at approximately 9:15 pm, Patrol Officers responded to 5811 NW 23rd Ter. (Pine Ridge) in response to a 911 call. The resident called to report a Home Invasion Robbery where the suspects shot Stacey Brown. Two light-skinned black males, armed with handguns, entered the apartment where Brown was a guest. As they exited the apartment, one of the suspects shot Brown once. She was mortally injured and died on the scene. The suspects may have fled the scene in a silver sedan.

#07-05421

On Saturday, March 17, 2007 at approximately 6:00 pm, the body of Shelley Hall Gatlin, a 37 year old white female was found along the Hawthorne Rails-to-Trails bike path. The victim had been strangled and left in the woods just off of the trail . Gatlin is a known drug user. She was last seen in the Spring Hill area the day before.

#06-25429

On Saturday, December 9, 2006 at approximately 6:30 am, the Gainesville Fire Department responded to a house fire at 1715 NW 32nd Pl. After the fire was extinguished, firefighters located two deceased bodies (one adult, one child) in the rubble. Evidence gathered at the scene indicated the mother & daughter were deceased prior to the fire and the fire was intentionally started to cover the murder.

#06-23549

On Sunday, November 12, 2006, at approximately 5:30 pm, the body of Grace Ann Cason was discovered near the St. Paul`s Christian Methodist Episcopal Church building, located at 1008 NE 18th Ter. Cason lived in the area and was last seen by neighbors the night before and she appeared in a normal mood. Cason was shot in the head and died at the location where she was found.

#05-11444

On Monday, 06-27-05, at 2:33pm, we received a 911 call from the victim, Phillip “Brian” Sweat advising he had just been stabbed. Before going unconscious, he told dispatch his attacker was a B/M, wearing a long sleeve blue shirt. Sweat was stabbed in his front yard, 4024 SW 38th St (near Archer Rd and I-75). His house was at the end of a secluded cul-de-sac, but backed up to several cheap hotels (Motel 6, Ramada, etc). Sweat drove a newer, red, Toyota Spider convertible, which was still parked in his driveway.

#04-8521

On Thursday, May 13, 2004 the body of John Porter, a 46 year old white male, was found wounded in the street in the unit block of SE 21st Street. He had been shot in the torso. He was transported to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries during surgery. Just prior to the shooting, witnesses in the area advised they had seen the victim riding his bike speaking to a B/M. The suspect was seen fleeing the area on foot south on SE 21 St and west on SE 2nd Ave. Several canvases of the area were done as well as putting up a traffic electronic sign board asking for information.

#03-10902

On Sunday, June 8, 2003 at approximately 6:52 pm, the body of Jay Cecil Thames, a 57 year old white male, was found deceased at his residence located at 1115 SW 3 Ave. He had been beaten to death. The residence is a building with several apartments (a quad). The front door to the residence was found unsecured but there were no signs of forced entry. The victim was known to have lived a homosexual life and had frequent homeless people at his residence. The victim was last seen alive on 06-07-02 downtown by a GPD Detective.

Officer Scott Baird was killed in the early morning hours of February 12, 2001 after responding to the 1900 NW block of NW 16th Terrace in reference to an object blocking the road.

When Officer Baird arrived on scene, he observed a large metal batting cage blocking NW 16th Terrace. Officer Baird turned on his emergency lights and then called for more assistance to move the batting cage. While waiting for assistance, a vehicle being driven by a 17-year old male was traveling north on NW 16th Terrace and struck the batting cage, causing the batting cage to strike Officer Baird. Officer Baird, 23, died as a result of being struck by the batting cage.

Detectives immediately conducted an investigation as to who was involved in the moving of the batting cage to the roadway. It is believed that players from a rival baseball team of Gainesville High School were responsible. No arrest(s) have been made.

#00-19249

On Wednesday, October 18, 2000 at approximately 8:00 am, the body of Lisa Lavoice, a 30 year old white female, was located in the wooded area of 500 NE Waldo Rd. The victim was found by a man walking his daughter to school. The victim had been stabbed and strangled. She was a known drug user and was unemployed. She was last seen alive at a residence in the area the evening before she was killed.

#00-7651

On Friday, April 28, 2000 at approximately 1:27 am, the body of Kevin Grimmage, a 27 year old black male, was located at his home of 1315 SE 3 Ave. He had just been shot and left in his front yard. A neighbor advised she heard loud music and then a scuffle. She looked out the window and saw the victim fighting with two B/M’s. When she went to call 911 she heard a gunshot and ran to the window and saw the victim’s vehicle driving off. The victim was found with a single gunshot wound to the chest. His vehicle, a 1992 Mitsubishi Diamante, chameleon colored, FL tag #417BGW, was stolen by suspects at the scene. It was recovered in Reddick Florida. It had been set on fire and was still smoldering. The stereo, amp and wheels were missing.

#99-12360

On Monday, July 5, 1999 at approximately 7:52 am., the body of Davattah Brown, a 37 year old black female, was found deceased in the passenger seat of her 1998 Suzuki Esteem, silver in color, Fl tag #DN956T. She had been shot. The victim’s vehicle was parked in the southwest corner of the parking lot at the Sunset Apartments 1500 NW 12 St. The victim had last been seen on Friday, July 2, 1999 at her residence on her way to work. When she didn’t arrive a Missing Person report was filed by her family.

#96-09096

On Saturday, May 4, 1996 at approximately 4:57 pm the body of Mae Edith Thornton, a 34 year old black female, was discovered in the wooded area of 1600 SE 4 Ave. laying face down, She appeared to have been there for some time. She was last seen at 12:30 am that morning. The victim’s uncle said victim Thornton came by his house at 1:00 am but he was in the shower and he didn’t let her in. The victim was last seen wearing a pink sweater over a blue shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers and no sock at 11:00 pm. the evening before.

#95-28332

On Friday, December 22, 1995 at approximately 1:00 am victim Eric Harper, an 18 year old black male, was shot while in the area of 1124 NW 5 Ave. People in the area heard a conversation outside and then heard “hey man”. They then heard one gunshot. The victim was then heard saying “Oh my God, I’ve been shot, I’m gonna die”. A witness didn’t see the shooting but heard the “pop” and saw a black Escort flee the scene.

#94-27764

On Thursday, December 1, 1994 at 12:45 am a fire was reported at the home of Treva Gernannt, an 88 year old white female, and Emily Wallace, a 74 year old white female, at 1031 SE 3 Ave. The victims were found in the residence in the bedrooms deceased. The residence was ransacked due to the fire and the efforts to put it out. The fire allegedly started in the attic where the gas heater exhaust flowed, igniting 2X4’s. The roof fell on top of the victims. While the fire department was sifting through the scene with equipment including a pitchfork they located the bodies. The bodies were sent to the ME’s office and Gernannt was found to have stab wounds to her neck Wallace was last seen at church on 11-30-94 at 9:30 pm. Gernannt stayed home from church that night due to being ill. She was last seen at 6:00 pm by visiting church members.

#94-28035

On Saturday, December 3, 1994 , at 9:20 pm the body of Richard Marbury, a 63 year old white male who was legally blind, was found deceased at his residence located at 1222 NE 15 St. Marbury had been reported missing by his pastor. Victim Marbury was last seen alive on December 3, 1994 at approx. 3:00 pm. By an RTS driver. The residence was locked when LEO arrived. Neighbors said Marbury was paranoid of being broken into and always kept his gate and home locked. He would not let anyone in he didn’t know. He stayed at home most of the time and had a 6 foot fence around his yard with a locked gate with burglar bars on the windows and doors. Marbury had been involved and had contact with several known prostitutes, male and female, black and white, who were drug abusers. Witnesses in the area observed a blue pickup truck in the victim’s yard on 12-03-94 at 1030 hrs.

#94-13787

On June 18, 1994 at approximately 6:15 am, the body of Earlene Boyd, a 23 year old white female, was found in Tumblin Creek Park, in the creek itself located at 800 SW 6th Street. Boyd was a well known prostitute who lived and worked in Porters for several years. Her body was found lying face down in the creek. Victim was last seen walking in the park 1-2 hours prior to her body being located.

#90-3767

On Wednesday, February 28, 1990 at 3 pm. the body of Essie Camps, an 84 year old black male, was located at his residence of 1316 NE 4 Ave. by his grandson. He had been stabbed multiple times. He was last seen alive by friends at his home at approximately 1:25 pm.

#87-8361

On Thursday, May 7, 1987 at approximately 9:45 pm, Robert Landis Long, a 47 year old white male, was out walking with his daughter. They were walking west on NW 16 Ave. on the sidewalk when two B/M suspect’s approached them on foot walking from the opposite direction on the same side of the street. They walked past the suspects and continued on. As the victim and his daughter approached NW 12 St. and began walking south, the suspects appeared and demanded their money. The victim refused and then chased the suspects. One of the suspects stopped and shot Long. The suspects fled the area in an unknown direction. The sketches are of the suspects.

#87-05519

On Wednesday, March 25, 1987 the body of Diane Brazil, a 31 year old black female, was found in the wooded area of 200 NE 16 Ave. The complainant was walking in the area of Northeast Park when he located the victim face down in a decomposing state. Brazil had been reported missing by her mother on 03-06-87 (GPD #87-4536). Her mother located her Firebird in the parking lot. Her purse was dumped out in the car. Victim used to have a drug habit. Mother reported her missing when she didn’t show up for work at the TLC Learning Center.

#79-49013

On Sunday, December 30, 1979 at 12:05 am the body of Suzanne Powell, a 20 year old white female, was found at the Atlantic Bank at 3838 NW 13 St. (now known as Wachovia) by two women customers. Powell was found shot in her vehicle. She worked for the Majik Market at 4105 NW 13 St. and was making a night deposit for the store when she was killed.

#78-41569

On Tuesday, November 14, 1978 at 9:00 am the body of Norman Fry, a 38 year old white male, was found at his residence of 3444 NW 10 Ave. by his 4 year old son. The victim was known to be homosexual and unemployed at the time. He had recently been employed at UF. The victim’s vehicle, a 1973 yellow Pinto was taken at the time of the murder as well as a foreign stamp collection, a pocket knife and an ace bandage. The vehicle was located a month later near 1300 SW 16 Ave. The son indicated that they picked up a hitchhiker or two, one of which had blond hair, and brought him to their home. He said he saw the hitchhiker going through his father’s clothing at home and he took his grandfather’s pocket knife. The victim had last been seen by the babysitter that evening when he picked up his son.

#1303N, #74-04467

On Saturday, November 3, 1974 the body of John Kemp, a 40 year old white male, was found deceased lying near his vehicle (1970 Olds Cutlass, Fl #39W-3077) in the 1600 block of SE 15 St. in the wooded area now known as the Blueberry farm. He had been shot and was lying at the front of his vehicle. Children playing in the area located his body. The victim lived in Madison Fl. with his wife and four children. It is unknown why he was in Gainesville. It was learned that the victim carried weapons in a vinyl bag he kept in the trunk.