Cold Case Florida

Florida Sheriffs Association

Florida has a population of 22 million residents and welcomed more than 137 million visitors last year. And although the overall crime rate has dropped for an incredible 50 straight years, there are still more than 19,000 unsolved homicides in Florida dating back to 1965. The Cold Case Florida Podcast was created by the Florida Sheriffs Association to highlight some of those cases and offer the public an opportunity to help solve these crimes – bringing justice to the perpetrators and giving closure to the families. Join us as we work with local sheriffs' offices to close cold cases in the sunshine state. Thank you to the participating sheriffs and their teams for assistance in the production of this podcast. If you would like to learn more about the Florida Sheriffs Association or become a member, visit flsheriffs.org.

Episodes

  1. Jul 22

    Victim's Undocumented Status Complicates Search for Murderer

    On the morning of August 16, 2004, a property owner in the rural woods of Walton County, Florida, noticed a large wake of buzzards circling high above his property. He knew that behavior usually indicated that they were assessing something dead or dying and were preparing to move in. When he went to check it out, he didn't find a dead deer or hog as he expected. It was a man who was later identified as Manuel M. Ruiz. And although his body was badly decomposed, it was his almost invisible presence in the community that would make this case even more difficult for the Walton County Sheriff's Office to solve. Contact Information Walton County Sheriff's Office Call in an Anonymous Tip: (770) 267-6557 Submit a Tip Online  ____________________________________ Thanks for listening to Cold Case Florida.  Listen to every episode at flsheriffs.org/coldcase.  Have a tip on a case featured in this episode? Contact information for the investigating agency is included in this episode's show notes.  Love the show? Please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.  About the Cold Case Florida Podcast Cold Case Florida was created by the Florida Sheriffs Association to shine a light on some of the state's more than 19,000 unsolved homicides dating back to 1965, and to give the public a chance to help close them. Each episode partners with a local sheriff's office to revisit a case that's gone cold, with the goal of bringing justice to perpetrators and closure to families still waiting for answers. Explore the full episode archive at flsheriffs.org/coldcase.  About the Florida Sheriffs Association Founded in 1893, the Florida Sheriffs Association has been the leading voice of Florida's sheriffs, dedicated to protecting citizens and visitors across the state. FSA is committed to fostering the effectiveness of the Office of Sheriff through leadership, innovative practices, legislative initiatives, education and training. That support includes initiatives such as the Cold Case Advisory Commission, which brings sheriffs' offices together quarterly to review unsolved homicide cases and share investigative resources statewide. Learn more about FSA's mission at flsheriffs.org/about.  Support Florida's Sheriffs FSA members and supporters help fund the training, resources and advocacy that keep Florida's sheriffs' offices equipped to serve their communities. Join or renew your FSA membership to help support law enforcement across the state.  Sponsor This Podcast Interested in reaching an engaged audience while supporting a cause that matters? Learn about sponsorship opportunities at flsheriffs.org/advertise.  Subscribe to Cold Case Florida  Apple | Spotify | Amazon | RSS | YouTube

  2. May 20

    Florida Man Brutally Murdered as Family Planned Party Next Door

    At about 9:30 am on June 6, 2009, Gil Perez was seen by a neighbor walking down the street near his home in Palm Beach County, Florida. That would be the last time the 47-year-old would be seen alive. Later that day, Gil's brother discovered his body on his bedroom floor, naked and covered in blood. Mary Bain, crime scene manager at the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office, said it was one of the bloodiest scenes she had ever encountered in her over 20 years on the job. Who murdered Gil with such malice, just hours before he was to join his family for a birthday party, is still unknown.

  3. Mar 24

    Genealogy May be Final Chance to Identify Man Discarded in Woods 45 Years Ago

    On March 11, 1982, two males were camping in the woods near Ormond Beach in Volusia County, Florida. While exploring the area, they found more than broken branches and kindling to start a fire. Buried under a pile of pine needles, the campers stumbled across a set of human bones. Their discovery would launch an investigation into the identity of the remains spanning 45 years — and counting. Today, the Volusia Sheriff's Office is getting outside help from Allison Peacock, president of FHD Forensics, to explore how DNA and family history may one day solve this mystery.

  4. Jan 8

    Murder Victim Identified 55 Years After Found in Florida Lake

    For nearly 55 years, the Sumter County Sheriff's Office, located in rural central Florida, has been working tirelessly to solve the murder of a young woman referred to as Little Miss Lake Panasoffkee, in reference to the body of water where her body was found. In an amazing story of perseverance and advancing technology, we now know her identity to be Maureen "Cookie" Rowan, born on March 21, 1949. All that's left now is to find her killer.

  5. 11/11/2025

    Stray Bullet Kills Mother of 8 at COVID Block Party

    On Saturday, June 20, 2020, Gainesville, Fla., native Natisha Covert and her friends planned to attend an out-of-town concert, but at the last minute noticed a Facebook post about a block party in nearby Waldo. Just hours later in the noisy, dark, early-morning chaos of the outdoor gathering, Natisha Covert would be dead, shot through the heart with a bullet intended for someone else. Who pulled the trigger and why, remains unknown.

  6. 09/29/2025

    Recently Engaged Veteran, Biker Shot in Driveway

    On Christmas Eve 2018, with colored lights hung and presents under the tree, a 32-year-old ex-Navy Corpsman living in Central Florida offered his longtime girlfriend the best gift he could imagine: a proposal of marriage. But just three weeks later, he was shot and killed outside the gate of their rural Central Florida home. So instead of looking forward to the wedding of her dreams, his finance was now faced with planning the funeral of the love of her life.

  7. 07/24/2025

    Hitchhiking Sisters Found Dead in Florida Keys

    In 1973, two sisters from New Jersey set out for the trip of their young lives. They wanted to experience spring break in the exotic and southernmost vacation spot in America, Key West, Florida. Together, they embarked on the long bus ride down the East Coast and spent several fun weeks with friends – both old and new. And even though they reportedly had been wired the money to take a return bus home, the sisters decided to hitchhike for the experience – a decision that cost them their lives.

  8. 06/09/2025

    81-year-old Business Owner Gunned Down in Office

    In virtually every city in America, there are areas that statistically are more prone to violent crime than others, and there are certainly times of day – or night – that are considered less safe to be out and about. But what happened to 81-year-old Karl Lievense in Naples Florida, at his office in the middle of the day in 2018, proves that sometimes a criminal with murderous intentions doesn't care about any of that. The right time and place for them – is simply now.

  9. 03/11/2025

    South Florida Family Slaughtered in Christmas Tragedy

    On December 19, 1959, a family of four was gunned down in their home in the town of Osprey, located in a rural part of Sarasota County along Florida's southwest coast. The gruesome scene from the Walker Family home gained national attention for its brutality and its possible connection to a similar crime in Kansas just weeks before that inspired the bestseller In Cold Blood written by author Truman Capote. It is one of Florida's oldest cold cases and has been featured in the New York Times, CBS News and even has its own Wikipedia page.  But after all the sensational claims and media-fed theories have been exhausted, it is the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office that continues to work the case, examine the evidence and provide hope to the Walker family that justice will be done and the killer will be made known.

  10. 12/04/2024

    Biker Bar Scene Proves Deadly for Two Florida Women

    In the late 1990s in the rural area of Flagler County, Florida, just north of world famous Daytona Beach, two women were shot and killed, their bodies left in ditches on the side of the road. They were known drug users and prostitutes with reputations for being unafraid of the local biker bars or the company they kept.  But someone took advantage of that fact and ended their lives, discarded their bodies and robbed their families of the chance to ever see them again. The cases appear connected, but after almost 30 years, remain unsolved.

  11. 10/14/2024

    Rural Florida Bartender Killed by Late Night Visitor

    On September 30, 1971, Bobby Ray Jones went to work as a bartender at the Lone Branch in Darlington, Florida, located near the Alabama border in the northernmost part of Walton County. The bar closed early that night, but Bobby Ray answered a knock at the door and let someone in. Minutes later, that person would shoot and kill Bobby Ray, and over 50 years later, his family, friends and local law enforcement are still looking for answers.  This case, like their other cold cases, still has the full attention of Walton County Sheriff Mike Adkinson and his team. They are hoping you just may know something to help solve this case and bring closure to the Jones family.

  12. 04/16/2024

    Father Gunned Down as Family Hides in Closet

    In the early morning hours of March 3, 2013, Phillip Davenport was shot and killed in his front yard, with his wife and three young children hiding in a closet inside the home. Mr. Davenport had returned from a routine trip to a Wal-Mart in Navarre, Florida, just a few minutes away. He had just gotten off the phone with his wife Tamara, and did not indicate that anything was wrong. But something was wrong – he just didn't know it yet. Now almost 12 years old, Sheriff Bob Johnson and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office are still working to solve the murder of Phillip Davenport. They are hoping you just may know something to help solve this case and bring closure for the Davenport family.

  • 12 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Florida has a population of 22 million residents and welcomed more than 137 million visitors last year. And although the overall crime rate has dropped for an incredible 50 straight years, there are still more than 19,000 unsolved homicides in Florida dating back to 1965. The Cold Case Florida Podcast was created by the Florida Sheriffs Association to highlight some of those cases and offer the public an opportunity to help solve these crimes – bringing justice to the perpetrators and giving closure to the families. Join us as we work with local sheriffs' offices to close cold cases in the sunshine state. Thank you to the participating sheriffs and their teams for assistance in the production of this podcast. If you would like to learn more about the Florida Sheriffs Association or become a member, visit flsheriffs.org.

Information

  • Creator
    Florida Sheriffs Association
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023
  • Show Website
    Cold Case Florida