Bone By Bone, Police Configure Remains

A baffling mystery in Fort Myers, Fla. began simply, with the discovery of a human skull by a land surveyor. While walking along a five-acre parcel of land in a wooded forest near Rockfill and Arcadia Streets in Fort Myers, the surveyor stumbled across what he first thought was the head of a small animal. Upon closer examination, the surveyor -- who was working for a local real estate developer -- realized the skull was human and called 9-1-1.

That was on March 23, 2007. By sunset that night, Fort Myers police recovered the bones from nearly eight complete bodies with the help of area agencies, cadaver dogs and forensic experts.

It was a grim recovery. Fort Myers detectives found themselves wondering, how did eight people come to die in a wooded area just three miles east of downtown? It's a question cops are still trying to answer.

Forensic anthropologist Heather Walsh Haney and forensic dentists worked day in and day out trying to piece together the remains. The good news was the meticulous search on that warm March day helped them recover about 90% of the 206 bones each body would have left behind. The bad news was, they didn't know whose remains they were dealing with.

First, the experts built a profile of each person. During an interview with America's Most Wanted, forensic anthropologist Heather Walsh Haney told us, "I've been blown away by seeing the eight skeletons come to life here."

After a thorough examination of the remains, forensic evidence indicated that all eight were men ranging from 18 to 49 years old. They learned that seven of the eight men had first-rate dental care. One of the men was believed to have been homeless or had a rough life based on bone damage and poor dental care. Experts said that the men known as the "Fort Myers Eight" were found within 50 yards of one another, and had been killed between 1980 and 2000.

With bones and information in hand, Sharon Long, a renowned forensic artist in Wyoming, used her artistic talents to create plaster molds of what the men are believed to have looked like at the time of death.

"Now these men will have someone speaking for them," Heather said, looking over facial reconstructions of the eight men. "We know these men have been isolated for years in the woods and hopefully this will spark the memory of family members."

That's exactly what police need help to answer: Who are these men, and how did they die?

Who Killed Eight Men?
While Fort Myers Police have not officially called the death of these eight men a murder, homicide detectives are working the case and considering it just that. They are trying to figure out who these men are and how they all ended up in this secluded wooded area not far from busy downtown Fort Myers.

Detectives have heard it all on this case: from mafia-related causes to the work of a gang, a cult or even a serial killer. The theories and rumors are endless.

Cops are working all leads and all theories. First they began with the possibility of a funeral home illegally dumping bodies. Prior to the recovery of these bones, a funeral parlor had done just that, but in another part of town. Based on the evidence, police are doubtful this was the case.

Another theory points the finger at Daniel Conahan, accused of killing homeless men in wooded areas north of Fort Myers in Charlotte County. Conahan was suspected of murdering five men but was convicted of a single case, based on the evidence of a victim who survived. Conahan was dubbed the "Hog Trail Murderer" because he allegedly tied naked men to trees in the woods and strangled them. He remains on Florida's death row, appealing his sentence.

Detectives continue to look at theories involving the mob, a gang and whether the deaths are part of a hate crime. Some believe the men may have been gay and may have been targeted because of their sexual orientation. None of these theories have been confirmed, nor have they been ruled out.


Two Men Identified
Thanks to DNA, police were able to identify two of the eight men in November 2007.

They victims dubbed "Victim A" through "Victim H" were run through DNA databases. With the help of technology and next of kin, Victim D was identified as John Blevins, a white male from neighboring Port Charlotte, who resembled the forensic facial reconstruction. Victim E was confirmed to be Erik Kohler, a young man from Fort Myers. Police and family say the two men had minor criminal histories but were missing for quite some time.

For the families, learning about their deaths was bittersweet.

Now Fort Myers detectives want to identify the remaining six men. They remain hopeful the identities of the men could help point to a motive and possibly a killer. The best advice cops have is for friends and family members of missing men from 1980 to 2000 to think long and hard about a man they haven't seen in a while. Also, they want people to check out the photos of the forensic facial reconstructions.

Detectives believe with the help of the community and families with missing loved ones, they may be able to close this huge mystery of the "Fort Myers Eight".

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=51867

Reconstruction of Victim F. Forensic evidence indicates that this man was about 30 years old, had a medium build, had some occupational injuries (possibly from hard work) and had good dental care.

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/video_photos.cfm?id=51867

Reconstruction of Victim F-left profile.

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/video_photos.cfm?id=51867

Reconstruction of Victim F-right profile.

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/video_photos.cfm?id=51867

Note: The victims were all found on the same date, so I am using AMW's designations of A-H to differentiate. The UID's that were designated D and E have been identified as John Blevins and Erik Kohler, respectively.

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/video_photos.cfm?id=51867

Police release new sketches of murder victims


FORT MYERS: The Fort Myers Police Department has issued new sketches of the five remaining unidentified victims whose skeletal remains were found March 23, 2007 in a wooded area off Arcadia Street in Fort Myers.

In general, all of the skeletons are of white males between the ages of 18 and 49 and were between 5’0" and 6’4" and were placed at the Arcadia Street site between 1980 and 2000.

So far, only three of the eight victims have been identified.

Forensic artist Sheri Dunaske of the Lee County Sheriff's Office created the sketches.

If you recognize any of the victims, contact the Fort Myers Police Department of 321-7700.

Individual one (A): White male in late 20s to early 40s between 5’2" and 5’7". During his lifetime he had injuries to both calves, ankles and forearms. He had healed fractures to his ribs and chest. He probably led a transient lifestyle before his death. He had large unfilled cavities, an abscess, old silver fillings and periodontal disease. He had three out of four wisdom teeth.

Individual two (B): White male between the ages of 20 and 39, between 5’6" and 6’0" tall. He had a well healed fracture to the right calf, specifically the fibula, as well as fractures to the nose and right collar bone. He had no wisdom teeth and had two older type crowns. He also had orthodontics, including the extraction of four premolars.

Individual three ©: Identified as Jon James Tihay

Individual four (D): Identified as John Blevins

Individual five (E): Identified as Erik Kohler

Individual six (F): White male in his late 20s to early 40s between 5’5" and 5’11" tall and may have had back and hip pain. He had no silver fillings, two composite fillings in his posterior teeth of an old material. All four wisdom teeth are present.





Individual seven (G): White male possibly of Hispanic lineage in his 20s or 30s and was between 5’11" and 6’ 3". He had a fracture to his right wrist or forearm. He had current dental work and silver fillings on his posterior teeth. He has all four wisdom teeth.





Individual eight (H): White male in his 20s or 30s between 5’6" and 6’0". Muscle markings on the bones indicate he was an athlete or had a job involving heavy lifting. He had silver fillings and four wisdom teeth.




http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle....cleid=28281&z=3

http://z13.invisionfree.com/PorchlightUSA/...pic=15743&st=0&

http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2010...who-killed-them

Fort Myers murder mystery: 8 skeletal remains, who killed them?
Story Created: Nov 17, 2010 at 3:17 PM America/New_York

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Fort Myers police call it their most challenging case; eight skeletal remains were found buried deep in the woods more than three years ago. Investigators say the men are murder victims. So far only three people have been identified. Now, a new detective is working hard to crack the case.

The largest excavation of human remains in Florida history happened in the brush off Arcadia Street in Fort Myers three years ago. A land surveyor stumbled across the first skull in March 2007. Days later, police unearthed eight remains of men they believe are all homicide victims. There were no I.D.'s or clothes. Police estimated they were killed between 1980 and 2000.

"The file on this case is extremely large," Detective Mali Langton told WINK News. "Right now I'm coming in on my days off to work on the case."

Detected Langton took over the investigation last year after the original detective retired. She says she's investigating as if it's a cold case.

"I'm looking into every single possible thing I can," she said.

That includes following up on hundreds of leads and going through sign-in sheets from area homeless shelters during that time period. Police believe the victims are transients.

"Most of these people were probably not even reported missing. Their families and friends think they may have just drifted. That's the hard part," Langton explained.

A forensic artist used the skulls to sketch what the men might look like and another artist reconstructed their heads out of clay. Police sent DNA from the bones to a national database. Those combined efforts helped identify three men: Jonathan Tihay, Eric Kohler and John Blevins.

Blevins' mother Hilinda Courter said John was visiting Fort Myers in the mid '90's when he vanished.

"He said I'm going our for a while. I'll be back... and never showed back," Courter recalled.

On a hunch she gave DNA to investigators and her worst nightmare came true.

"It said the DNA was that of my son. It just about tore my heart out," she said. "Had I not brought him here maybe things wouldn't have happened the way they did. Nobody knows but I sometimes feel it's my fault."

Blevins had no connections with the other two men identified. The lack of common threads makes the mystery harder to solve.

Theories have surfaced that this could be the work of serial killer Daniel Conahan, on death row for a murder he committed in Charlotte County in the '90's. While the Fort Myers Police tell us they have yet to talk to Conahan or his lawyers, they aren't ruling out doing so in the future.

We tried to speak with Conahan, but in a letter, he refused our request for an interview.

Now, Langton spends her time determined to unravel the secrets of this case.

"I pray one day I get that phone call that we at least identify the next one," she said.

There are still five skeletal remains that need to be identified. If you haven't heard from a loved one for more than ten years, the Fort Myers Police Department suggests that you contact them to submit DNA.

http://www.marcoislandflorida.com/article/...ound-Fort-Myers
Mystery remains 5 years after skeletal remains found in Fort Myers
Eight homicide victims, all men, were found in woods. Police remain frustrated, and families' pain lingers.
2:36 PM, Mar. 27, 2012
Grass and wildflowers have grown over the former crime scene and tips have slowed to a crawl – and Fort Myers police are no closer to figuring out what happened to eight homicide victims whose bones were uncovered in 2007.
A surveyor was working in a secluded area of woods off Arcadia Street on March 23, 2007, when he stumbled across two human skulls. Fort Myers police and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement were called to the scene, where the investigation snowballed to eventually reveal bones from eight victims. Now, five years later, only three of those people have been identified.
The eight victims were white men between the ages of 18 and 49, who likely lived transient lifestyles and died between 1980 and 2000. Police still don’t know how the men died and ended up in the mass grave, or whether they knew each other, said Detective Mali Langton with the Fort Myers Police Department. She said she is in contact with family members of the three identified men – Erik Kohler of Port Charlotte, John Blevins of Fort Myers and Jonathon Tihay of North Fort Myers – but hasn’t been able to tell the families what happened to their loved ones.
“It’s sad. You can’t help but feel like, ‘God, I wish I could give them something,’” Langton said. “But there just isn’t anything, unfortunately.”
Langton, who is the only member of the Fort Myers Police Department investigating the case, has a few hours a week available to spend on it. Langton is in the process of going through records of local homeless shelters – looking for men who may have gone missing. She still has a tall stack of records to go through, but she’s optimistic. The police department received a call a few months ago from someone looking for a missing relative, and the department has sent the relative’s DNA sample to the University of North Texas for processing.
When the remains were discovered, the Police Department fielded hundreds of similar calls, said Lt. Jennifer Soto, who was the original supervisor on the case. Calls have slowed since then, with only 15 or 20 coming in since Langton took over the case in 2008.