The Cases Between the Records

Florida’s unsolved murders, missing people, and serial-killer history demand a closer examination of how evidence connects — and where it does not.

By Shane Huey | Florida Unsolved

A missing-person report establishes that someone has been reported missing. An unidentified body establishes that a person has been found without a confirmed identity. A homicide file establishes that a death is being investigated as a killing.

Those records may concern the same person. Establishing that connection can be the work that changes an investigation.

Florida’s history raises difficult questions about people who disappeared, murders that remained unresolved, and offenders whose crimes extended across communities and decades. But a responsible examination begins by testing the premise behind a familiar question: Why does Florida have such a high rate?