A Florida man who disappeared in 1980 was identified as the murder victim from another incident, closing a 42-year-old cold case, according to local police.
Ronald Gilchrist, then 29 years old, left a residence in Clearwater, Florida, in a Ford 4-door vehicle on October 28, 1980, intending to pick up his in-laws at Miami International Airport and then take them to Marco Island, according to a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office press release. He called a relative on October 29, 1980, from a restaurant payphone in Mulberry, Florida, after which he was never heard from again. (RELATED: Watch: Video Captures Daytime Stabbing In Middle Of New York Street)
Detectives Close Missing Person Cold Case After 42 Years
To view the full release, visit: https://t.co/hZsrhLIutw pic.twitter.com/G6Mr8SQBJV— Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (@SheriffPinellas) June 14, 2023
Detectives obtained and sent photographs of Gilchrist to the Miami-Dade Police Department and the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office upon learning that the police department had investigated the homicide of a John Doe in November 1980, according to the press release. The detectives were informed that the descriptions of John Doe and Gilchrist were similar.
The Examiner’s Office notified the detectives on June 7 that it had formally identified Gilchrist as John Doe, per the release. The Miami-Dade Police Department is continuing the homicide investigation of Gilchrist.
Gilchrist would have been 72 years old on March 20, according to his biodata in the press release. His next of kin have been informed of the development.