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.
Cold Case Solved 53 Years After Sisters Murdered in Key West
A 53-year-old cold case highlighted by this podcast in 2025 has been solved. On this special episode of Cold Case Florida, investigators explain how they determined who murdered sisters Maggie and Mary Jenkins in the Florida Keys in 1973. After decades of investigation, immaculate evidence preservation, and advances in modern forensic analysis and genetic genealogy, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, in partnership with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, identified the killer as David Allen Snyder and closed this case.
Congratulations to all involved for bringing justice to the family and for never giving up.
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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.
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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 (https://flsheriffs.org/get-involved/membership/join-renew/) 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.
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22 Jul 2026
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 (https://www.waltonsheriff.com/)
Call in an Anonymous Tip: (770) 267-6557
Submit a Tip Online (https://www.waltonsheriff.com/crime-tips)
20 May 2026
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.
24 Mar 2026
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.
8 Jan 2026
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.
11 Nov 2025
Episode 8: The Murder of Natisha Covert
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.
29 Sept 2025
Episode 7: The Murder of James William Earl
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.
24 Jul 2025
Episode 6: The Murder of the Jenkins Sisters
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.
9 Jun 2025
Episode 5: The Murder of Karl Lievense
This episode of Cold Case Florida examines the 2018 murder of 81-year-old Karl Lievense in his Naples, Florida office, highlighting the unpredictable nature of violent crime.
11 Mar 2025
Episode 4: The Walker Family Murders
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.
4 Dec 2024
Episode 3: The Murders of Andrea Ford and Dawn Petterson
Cold Case Florida investigators delve into the unsolved murders of Andrea Ford and Dawn Petterson, examining the shocking connections between the cases after nearly 30 years.
14 Oct 2024
2. The Murder of Bobby Ray Jones
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.
16 Apr 2024
1. The Murder of Phillip Davenport
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.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
1,058,861
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
12 ratings
Spotify
4.3 / 5
6 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 40 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
32
Social presence
0
YouTube
86
Engagement
32
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