Polk County Sheriff’s Phone# 863-298-6200
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Cold Case Homicides
From June 2008 until June 2019, the Polk County Sheriff's Office Homicide Unit maintained a 100% clearance rate on all homicides investigated within the PCSO jurisdiction.
The two most recent unsolved homicides - those of Shay Collins in June 2019 and Alphonsa Payne in May 2020 - are listed here along with all other unsolved homicides back to 1961.
Our Cold Case Unit is dedicated to solving these homicides and bringing justice to these victims' families.
Can you help? Click the links below to view information about unsolved Polk County Homicides. Photos are included if available. If you have any information concerning an unsolved homicide, please contact the Bureau of Criminal Investigations at 863-298-6379 or send an email to coldcase@polksheriff.org.
Or to remain anonymous and be eligible for a CASH REWARD contact Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS (8477). Anonymity is guaranteed!
Name
Description
44-year-old Kerry Lynn was found deceased at the Lakeland Animal Clinic construction site. ... More Info
Marie Michel, a native of Haiti, was found shot to death inside her daughter’s home located on Sandp... More Info
On March 31, 1981, 35-year-old Martha Ramsey was found in an orange grove off Little Zion Road in Da... More Info
On January 14, 1978, 28-year-old Mary Jane Tucker and 34-year-old Margaret Grubbs Locke were found d... More Info
On November 12, 1992, 80-year-old Mary Vavrek was transported to Winter Haven Hospital and died a sh... More Info
On January 6, 1990, 30-year-old Michael David Hamilton was found dead in his car in Haines City. ... More Info
On May 16, 1997, 61-year-old Murray “Hoppy” Delong was found dead at his home in Lakeland. ... More Info
On August 28, 1989, 29-year-old Nancy Lopez’s body was found in a wooded area off County Road 54 in ... More Info
25-year-old Octavio Hernandez was last seen alive leaving the Rio Grande Bar in Frostproof between m... More Info
On March 9, 1977, 21-year-old Opal Williams was found in a wooded area near Lake Wales. ... More Info
On April 21, 1982, 59-year-old Otway Sigman was found laying on the kitchen floor of his residence i... More Info
On November 24, 1994, 20-year-old Pamela Franklin was found in an orange grove in Auburndale. ... More Info
On October 11, 1976, 50-year-old Paul Douglas Crum was fatally shot while driving in Lakeland. ... More Info
On October 28, 1977, 23-year-old Phoebe Winston was reported missing from her home in Plant City. He... More Info
On April 1, 2005, 33-year-old Priteshkumar “Pat” Amin was killed while working in his convenience st... More Info
On March 7, 1988, 29-year-old Ragel Taylor was found in a canal behind a home at 711 Fish Hatchery R... More Info
On November 16, 1996, 34-year-old Rodrigo Orrostieta, and 32-year-old Raul Trochez, were found shot ... More Info
Between December 7th and 8th, 1979, 59-year-old Ray Sheffield was struck and killed by an unknown ve... More Info
On January 1, 1992, 62-year-old Roland Lee Shelton was found dead in an orange grove north of Cox Ro... More Info
On June 16, 2003, Ronald Leggett, a business owner in the Lakeland area, was found murdered inside h... More Info