Post by Scumhunter on Oct 16, 2016 0:59:36 GMT -5
(Above: Photos of Daytona Beach killer's victims. Photo Credits: allthingscrimeblog.com)
From the AMW archives:
Execution-Style Serial Killer On The Run
It takes a lot to frustrate retired Daytona Beach Sgt. Clem Malek. For 32 years, this cop has uncovered leads, broke cases and closed difficult investigations.
But now he's faced with the unsolved Daytona Beach Serial Killer case.
Sgt. Malek was brought back to the department to work this case alone.
"It was a challenge to me and I took the challenge," says Sgt. Malek. "This isn't necessarily just about going out and arresting the bad guy within five minutes. This is very tedious work to do."
Tedious is right. Sgt. Malek has shelves upon shelves of boxes, leads, files, DNA and case reports to sift through.
The case involves four local Daytona Beach women who were all executed with a pistol from December 2005 through January 2008.
Investigating A Serial Killer
The case began on Dec. 26, 2005, when the body of Laquetta Gunther was found dead in a tiny alleyway off of Madison Avenue and Beach Street in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Sgt. Malek says she was shot in the back of the head, possibly three days earlier, and left dead in that small gap between two businesses. From the crime scene, detectives gathered DNA evidence which has not given them a positive match -- yet.
Less than three weeks later, another body was recovered. This time it's Julie Green. A construction worker found Julie's body on a dirt road Jan. 14, 2006, on the west side of Daytona Beach off of LPGA Blvd near a local hunting club.
She was killed with a single gunshot wound to the back of the head. No DNA was recovered, but a good impression of a tire track in the dirt was cast.
While investigators examined the two unsolved murders, another victim was found six weeks later.
On Feb. 24, 2006, the body of Iwana Patton was discovered dead on a dirt road near Mason Avenue and Williamson Street in Daytona Beach. She was also shot in the head but appeared to have struggled with her killer. At the scene, detectives recovered DNA and a shell casing.
Three murders in three months.
Detectives began connecting the dots with evidence and MO's --- and concluded they had a serial killer on the loose in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Weapons And Vehicles
Daytona cops compared shell casings and DNA and soon developed key clues with the help of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Lab.
The shell casings told investigators they were dealing with a suspect who carried a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson Sigma Series VE weapon.
The DNA was a good sample but only told them that their suspect was a male who has been arrested before or entered into the CODIS system.
The tire impression came back to factory-installed tires made for a 2003 Ford Taurus or Mercury Sable.
Interestingly enough, the exact tires that were used at the crime scene were actually recovered at a junkyard in a nieghboring town. However, there weren't enough records at the business to determine who brought the tire in.
While detectives were scouring evidence and records, another body was found Jan. 2, 2008 -- almost two years after the killings started. The badly decomposed body of Stacey Gage was discovered by an officer on routine patrol in Daytona.
Stacey had been reported missing a month earlier by her grandmother. Sgt. Malek says she was also shot in the head and appeared to have stuggled with her attacker.
So now detectives had a fourth victim and still not more evidence to provide them with an identity of their killer.
Sgt. Malek says he knows all four women started their night off somewhere along Route 1 also known as the Ridgewood Corridor in Daytona -- where drugs and sex were easily available.
He said, "Yes, they lived [an] on-the-edge lifestyle, but they were still human beings and they had families and most of them had children. I think it's very, very important for them to have closure."
And closure is what Sgt Malek is after.
He met with Stacey Gage's grandmother, Betty Hill, recently and made an emotional promise.
"I got a mom just like you, I got sisters, I got grandkids. And if anything ever happened to them, I'd truly hope somebody would come out and solve it," said Sgt. Malek. He went onto tell the elderly woman, "I can't promise you I'll solve it but I'll try, and that's all I can do."
So Sgt. Malek is trying to find the missing piece to this mysterious puzzle. What he's looking for is a man who may have frequented Route 1 in Daytona Beach for sex or drugs, who may have driven a 2003 Ford Taurus or Mercury Sable, and carried a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson Sigma Series VE pistol.
He also believes his serial killer may be familiar with Daytona Beach since he knew some rural areas that were tucked-away construction sites at the time.
One other fact that peaks the interest of all investigating this case is that all of the victims were found nude, and three out of the four were left with only their socks on.
"Could it be a sock fetish?" questions another cop on the task force.
These are all clues that could help lead to the Daytona Beach Serial Killer. Sgt. Malek and his team need your help now.
web.archive.org/web/20130801145218/http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=76697#brief
Links with additional and/or updated information:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytona_Beach_killer
www.news-journalonline.com/news/20151227/10-years-later-serial-killer-who-shot-3-daytona-prostitutes-still-out-there
www.orlandosentinel.com/news/crime/cold-cases/os-cold-case-daytona-beach-serial-killer-20151231-story.html
Thoughts? This case was aired on the March 19th, 2011 episode of America's Most Wanted. I am going to be honest and say I had never added it to the site because I assumed we already profiled it. To my surprise we hadn't but now there's a thread.
Hopefully they can get to the bottom of this one day since no one including these four women deserved to have their lives ended the way they ended.
Admin Note #1: According to articles, anyone with information on this case is asked to call CrimeStoppers of North East Florida at 1-888-277-8477
Admin Note #2: If you have any (news-related) updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
