Although Florida may appear warm and sunny, there exists a hidden side to the Sunshine State. The incidents listed here are chilling and enigmatic, sharing a common trait – they have yet to be solved.
Unraveling the mysteries behind these unsolved homicides, vanishings, and unidentified individuals discovered within Florida is no simple task.
The Freighter ‘Freedom’ Disappeared With Nine People Aboard
Lisa Bishop had a dream of becoming an investigative journalist. In December 1988, at the age of 23, she embarked on a journey to Haiti aboard the freighter Freedom.
She intended to write a compelling story highlighting the stark contrast between the poverty and economic inequality experienced by Haitians and Americans. However, tragedy struck as Lisa never reached her destination and vanished without a trace.
Before setting sail on the ill-fated voyage, Lisa met Florian Meyer Bourch, a German residing in Miami, Florida. Bourch, known for his wandering lifestyle and reputation as an unreliable trickster, extended an invitation to Lisa to accompany him to Haiti.
Despite warnings from her family and friends about Bourch’s character, Lisa disregarded their concerns. On December 17, 1988, she departed from the Port of Miami aboard the Freedon, accompanied by Bourch and seven crew members.
The Freedon, unfortunately, never reached its intended port in Gonaïves, Haiti. Concern grew among Lisa’s loved ones when she failed to contact them on Christmas as planned. The Coast Guard conducted an extensive search, but no signs of a sunken ship or wreckage, nor any bodies, were discovered.
After numerous fruitless attempts to gather information about the fate of the Freedon, a salvager came forward claiming to have spotted the freighter in Georgetown Harbor on Grand Cayman Island. Multiple witnesses on the island confirmed seeing Bourch in the company of a dark-haired man who was later identified as an alleged smuggler named Phillipe.
To this day, no one from the Freedon has surfaced, leaving many unanswered questions. The reasons behind Phillipe chartering the boat for Bourch and the motives for their insistence on Lisa’s presence on the voyage remain shrouded in mystery.
The Remains Of Eight People Were Found In Fort Myers
In March 2007, authorities made a grim discovery in Fort Myers, FL. After a surveyor reported seeing human bones, the skeletal remains of eight individuals were found on a piece of land.
The bodies had been left uncovered, potentially for eight years or more, leading investigators to suspect the possibility of a serial killer using the swampy area as a dumping ground.
Despite the proximity, there were no apparent signs of physical harm on the victims, who ranged in age from 18 to 49 years old.
Through the use of DNA evidence, two of the victims were identified as Erik Kohler and John Blevins. Kohler had been reported missing by his family in October 1995, while Blevins had also disappeared in 1995, but his absence had not been reported until the remains were discovered in 2007.
Another victim, Jonathan Tihay, who had gone missing in 1995, was identified through DNA analysis in 2008. These three men had endured challenging lives marked by drug addiction, homelessness, and encounters with law enforcement.
Local media raised suspicions about the potential involvement of Daniel Conahan, a known serial killer serving time for the murder of a drifter and suspected in the Hog Trail Murders, a series of five killings that occurred in the 1990s.
However, investigators found no evidence linking Conahan to the deaths in Fort Myers. The causes of death remained unknown, and no other leads emerged regarding the final resting place of the eight men.
Two Men Disappeared After The Same Officer Arrested Them
In October 2003, Collier County Sheriff’s Corporal Steven Calkins arrested Felipe Santos and in January 2004, he arrested Terrance Williams. Santos was reportedly involved in a minor car accident while on his way to work, and Calkins responded to the scene and arrested him, but failed to book him into custody.
Instead, it is alleged that Calkins dropped Santos off at a nearby Circle K store. Similarly, Calkins pulled over Williams for suspected driving without a license and claimed to have dropped him off at the same Circle K.
However, neither Santos nor Williams ever arrived at the police station to be officially processed, raising suspicion. Consequently, Calkins was fired due to his conflicting statements during the subsequent investigation.
In October 2018, Calkins received a notification that Williams’s family planned to sue him for wrongful death. Despite the accusations, Calkins denied any responsibility for the disappearance of Williams and opted for a trial by a jury in the court proceedings.
Despite efforts by filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry, who offered a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the discovery of Williams and Santos, no leads or information emerged. As a result, both men remained missing.
Zachary Bernhardt Disappeared From His Home
Zachary Bernhardt, an 8-year-old boy, went missing from the apartment he shared with his mother on September 11, 2000. His mother, Leah Hackett, claimed that she would leave Zachary alone in the apartment for short periods while she went swimming or walked around the neighborhood due to her insomnia.
However, when she returned home, she discovered that Zachary was gone, and there were no clear leads on his disappearance. The police found Hackett’s account inconsistent and suspicious, but she never provided any new information or became a suspect in the case.
In 2001, a neighbor named Kevin Jalbert confessed to a friend that he was a serial killer who had abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered children. However, Jalbert’s story changed multiple times, and no evidence was found linking him to Zachary’s disappearance.
A year later, in September 2001, a Polaroid photograph of a young boy was found in a parking lot. The boy in the photo resembled Zachary and appeared to be tied up and gagged.
Unfortunately, authorities couldn’t definitively identify the child in the picture, and the lack of additional information led to another dead end in the investigation. As of 2018, Zachary’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Aspiring Actress Tammy Lynn Leppert Disappeared After An Argument
Actress Tammy Lynn Leppert began her film career in 1982, appearing in various movies, including a minor role in the 1983 film Scarface alongside Al Pacino.
However, before Leppert embarked on a trip to film the B-movie Spring Break, her close friend Wing Flanagan noticed a change in her behavior. Specifically, Leppert displayed signs of paranoia and became evasive.
According to Leppert’s mother, Linda Curtis, her daughter experienced a severe emotional breakdown at home before her disappearance. This breakdown involved screaming and breaking windows. As a result, Leppert was placed under 72-hour observation in a psychiatric unit.
However, no mental illnesses, drug dependencies, or alcohol dependencies were diagnosed during her time there. Curtis also claimed that Leppert expressed fear of someone and had a breakdown on the set of Scarface.
On July 6, 1983, 18-year-old Leppert left her residence with unkempt hair, accompanied by an unidentified male friend in his vehicle. The friend later informed the police that they argued, after which he left Leppert alone at an Exxon gas station in Cocoa Beach, FL.
Both the police and Leppert’s family suspected a possible connection to a known serial killer named Christopher Wilder, but no evidence was found to support his involvement. Another suspect, the “Vampire Rapist” John Brennan Crutchley, also came under investigation, but there was insufficient evidence to link him to the case.
Curtis maintains that her daughter possessed knowledge about a drug and money ring in Florida and suggests that her death may be connected to that information. As of 2018, Leppert remains missing, and the case remains unsolved.
