FL FL - Carolyn Brown, 27, & 3 kids, Port St Lucie, 16 July 1985

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Carolyn Denise Brown
Missing since July 16, 1985 from Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie County, Florida.
Classification: Endangered Missing

CBrown.jpg



Vital Statistics
  • Date Of Birth: September 6, 1957
  • Age at Time of Disappearance: 27 years old
  • Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'6; 180 lbs.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: Black female. Black hair; brown eyes. Carolyn wears eyeglasses.
  • Dentals: She has a gap in front teeth


Circumstances of Disappearance
Carolyn was married to James Michael Brown in 1985. They had three children together; Sheketa, Barry and Brandon.
Carolyn and the children disappeared on July 16, 1985. James was initially missing with his family, but he resurfaced in the Port St. Lucie area several weeks afterwards. James told authorities that he shot Carolyn while she slept inside their home during the night of their disappearances. James said that Brandon was sleeping beside his mother; he claimed that he smothered the child with a pillow, then buried both of their bodies in Belle Glade, Florida. James told investigators that he drove Sheketa and Barry to Georgia along Interstate 95 on July 17, three days after Carolyn and Brandon were murdered. James said he shot Barry in the head and his daughter in the face, then disposed of their remains along the highway.
A jury acquitted James in Carolyn and Sheketa's deaths in late 1985. He was never charged with Brandon and Barry's homicides, as authorities were not certain of the location of the presumed murders. Extensive searches of the areas produced no evidence as to the family's whereabouts.
A court-appointed psychiatrist diagnosed him as a paranoid schizophrenic. James was committed to a Florida mental health facility after the court's decision in 1985. He was moved to a halfway house in 1996 and released from the program in 1997. James has been under investigation since his release for psychotic episodes. Carolyn, Sheketa, Brandon and Barry have never been located.


http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/925dffl.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/250dffl.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/226dmfl.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/225dmfl.html



Barry Michael Brown
Missing since July 16, 1985 from Port St. Lucie, Florida
Classification: Endangered Missing

BaBrown.jpg


Vital Statistics Date Of Birth: December 29, 1978
Age at Time of Disappearance: 6 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 3'6 (107 cm.); 55 lbs. (25 kg.)
Distinguishing Characteristics: Black male. Black hair; brown eyes.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Barry, his mother, Carolyn and his two siblings, Brandon and Sheketa, disappeared from Port St. Lucie, Florida on July 16, 1985. Foul play is suspected in all of their disappearances.
James Michael Brown, the father of the Brown children and the husband of Caroline, confessed to murdering all four of the victims. James stated that he killed Caroline and Brandon first, placing their bodies somewhere near West Palm Beach, Florida. James claimed that he then drove to Georgia and murdered Sheketa and Barry, placing their bodies somewhere along Interstate 95. No sign of any of the victims has been discovered.
James was found not guilty of four counts of murder by reason of insanity by mental defect in late 1985. A court-appointed psychiatrist diagnosed him as paranoid schitzophrenic. James claimed he was hearing voices in his head at the time of the murders, something which has continued in the years proceeding the killings as well. He was committed to a mental hospital in Florida after being found not guilty and was moved to a halfway house in 1996. James was released from the halfway house in 1997, but was under investigation for exhibiting psychotic behavior after his initial release. The decision concerning his return to the halfway house was pending in 1998.




Brandon Mitchell Brown
Missing since July 16, 1985 from Port St. Lucie, Florida
Classification: Endangered Missing

BrBrown.jpg


Vital Statistics Date Of Birth: December 18, 1983
Age at Time of Disappearance: 1 year old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 2'0 (61 cm.); 30 lbs. (14 kg.)
Distinguishing Characteristics: Black male. Black hair; brown eyes.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Brandon, his mother, Carolyn and his two siblings, Barry and Sheketa, disappeared from Port St. Lucie, Florida on July 16, 1985.
James Michael Brown, the father of the Brown children and the husband of Carolyn, confessed to murdering all four of the victims. James stated that he killed Carolyn and Brandon first, placing their bodies somewhere near West Palm Beach, Florida. James claimed that he then drove to Georgia and murdered Sheketa and Barry, placing their bodies somewhere along Interstate 95. No sign of any of the victims has been discovered.
James was found not guilty of four counts of murder by reason of insanity by mental defect in late 1985. A court-appointed psychiatrist diagnosed him as paranoid schitzophrenic. James claimed he was hearing voices in his head at the time of the murders, something which has continued in the years proceeding the killings as well. He was committed to a mental hospital in Florida after being found not guilty and was moved to a halfway house in 1996. James was released from the halfway house in 1997, but was under investigation for exhibiting psychotic behavior after his initial release. The decision concerning his return to the halfway house was pending in 1998.




Sheketa Michele Brown
Missing since July 16, 1985 from Port St. Lucie, Florida
Classification: Endangered Missing

SBrown.jpg


Vital Statistics Date Of Birth: December 20, 1974
Age at Time of Disappearance: 10 years old
Height at Time of Disappearance: 4'6" (137 cm.); 65 lbs. (30 kg.)
Distinguishing Characteristics: Black female. Black hair; brown eyes. Sheketa wears eyeglasses.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Sheketa, her mother Carolyn and her two brothers, Barry Michael Brown and Brandon Mitchell Brown, disappeared from Port St. Lucie, Florida on July 16, 1985.
James Michael Brown, the father of the Brown children and the husband of Caroline, confessed to murdering all four of the victims. James stated that he killed Caroline and Brandon first, placing their bodies somewhere near West Palm Beach, Florida. James claimed that he then drove to Georgia and murdered Sheketa and Barry, placing their bodies somewhere along Interstate 95. No sign of any of the victims has been discovered.
James was found not guilty of four counts of murder by reason of insanity by mental defect in late 1985. A court-appointed psychiatrist diagnosed him as paranoid schitzophrenic. James claimed he was hearing voices in his head at the time of the murders, something which has continued in the years proceeding the killings as well. He was committed to a mental hospital in Florida after being found not guilty and was moved to a halfway house in 1996. James was released from the halfway house in 1997, but was under investigation for exhibiting psychotic behavior after his initial release. The decision concerning his return to the halfway house was pending in 1998.

 

Sheketa, her mother Carolyn and her two brothers, Barry Michael Brown and Brandon Mitchell Brown, disappeared from Port St. Lucie, Florida on July 16, 1985.
James Michael Brown, the father of the Brown children and the husband of Caroline, confessed to murdering all four of the victims. James stated that he killed Caroline and Brandon first, placing their bodies somewhere near West Palm Beach, Florida. James claimed that he then drove to Georgia and murdered Sheketa and Barry, placing their bodies somewhere along Interstate 95. No sign of any of the victims has been discovered.
James was found not guilty of four counts of murder by reason of insanity by mental defect in late 1985. A court-appointed psychiatrist diagnosed him as paranoid schitzophrenic. James claimed he was hearing voices in his head at the time of the murders, something which has continued in the years proceeding the killings as well. He was committed to a mental hospital in Florida after being found not guilty and was moved to a halfway house in 1996. James was released from the halfway house in 1997, but was under investigation for exhibiting psychotic behavior after his initial release. The decision concerning his return to the halfway house was pending in 1998.

[/QUOTE]
I'm sure the LE's along the I-95 route in Georgia were notified of the possibility of bodies being disposed of in their areas at the time the investigation was actively being persued, but have these same LE's been reminded of this since the widening of I-95 from the Florida line to Savannah? I am sure construction crews come along remains from animals in the course of their land disturbance work, but shouldn't it be brought up that these remains should be verified animal before just continuing with their work? I don't know or think that it would be standard procedure for that to be done.

Just a thought I had about this.
 
Here is the NamUs case file for this John Doe.

https://identifyus.org/cases/6002

The John Doe was found 13-14 years after Barry went missing. I think that gap is way too large for this UID to be Barry.

Interestingly, the info on NamUS appears as if this was added as a courtesy to NCMEC, as they are refering tips to NCMEC. NamUs states no dentals available, yet the image at NamUs shows crowded teeth. I'm pretty sure NCMEC has already compared the two, but it might not hurt to just call NCMEC and ask.

HTH. Keep looking and thanks for your interest in this case.
 
NCMC600459c1.jpg


BARRY BROWN
DOB: Dec 29, 1978
Age Now: 34
Missing: Jul 16, 1985
Missing From:
PORT SAINT LUCIE
FL
United States
Sex: Male
Race: Black
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Height: 3'6" (107cm)
Weight: 55lbs (25kg)

NCMC600459c2.jpg


BRANDON BROWN
DOB: Dec 19, 1983
Age Now: 29
Missing: Jul 16, 1985
Missing From:
PORT SAINT LUCIE
FL
United States
Sex: Male
Race: Black
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Height: 2'0" (61cm)
Weight: 30lbs (14kg)

NCMC600459c3.jpg


SHEKETAH BROWN
DOB: Dec 20, 1974
Age Now: 38
Missing: Jul 16, 1985
Missing From:
PORT SAINT LUCIE
FL
United States
Sex: Female
Race: Black
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Height: 4'6" (137cm)
Weight: 65lbs (29kg)

CAROLYN BROWN
Companion Type: Companion
DOB: Sep 6, 1957
Sex: Female
Race: Black
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
Weight: 180 lbs (82 kg)

The larger photos of Barry, Brandon, and Sheketah's are composite images to show how they may look at 33, 28, and 37 respectively. The children and their mother were last seen at home on July 16, 1985. They are missing under suspicious circumstances. Carolyn wears glasses. FOUL PLAY SUSPECTED.

http://www.missingkids.com/missingk...aseNum=600459&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US
 
Bumping for this tragic case. All of them are in NamUs, so hopefully one day they can be identified. Even though the father was declared insane, it doesn't make sense that he would be released back into society. He kept changing his story on where he placed the bodies, making it difficult to recover them. The last I was able to find was that he was living in a small town in Florida and working part-time at a business owned by his brother. He was also taking anti-psychotic medications and meeting with a social worker once a month. If he's still alive today, he would be about 67 or 68.

This Charley Project Blog Post about the Brown Family discusses the not guilty by reason of insanity. I wonder if the same ruling would have been done if this crime had happened today.

Missing Family Of 5 Puzzles Cops In St. Lucie - August 18, 1985

Former Teacher Held In Disappearance Of Family Members - April 25, 1986

Cold Cases: 'It was obvious that something had happened' - September 23, 2002

This thread has a few articles up from around the time this crime occurred:
http://www.officialcoldcaseinvestigations.com/showthread.php?14242-Carolyn-Denise-Brown-27-and-her-3-children-missing-since-1985-Florida


Brandon's NamUs Page

Sheketah's NamUs Page

Barry's NamUs Page

Carolyn's NamUs Page - DLS listed as August 16, 1985
 
I have not come across any images of what James Michael Brown looked like in 1985 or during that time. However, I have come across a mugshot for a James M. Brown in Leon County, FL from 1997 for violating a conditional release from St. Lucie County. He was 47 at the time and age 67 as of 2017 if he is indeed alive. This would give his age at 35 in 1985, the same age he was listed in the 1985 news articles.

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http://florida.arrests.org/Arrests/James_Brown_3437985/
 

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Sheketah Brown, 10: Father Admitted To Killing Entire Family In 1985

James Michael Brown claimed he murdered his wife and their three children. Their remains have never been located.

September 20, 2021

Sheketah-Brown-Missing-1.jpg

A mother and her children have remained missing persons for over 35 years despite a man confessing to their murders. In the summer of 1985, the Brown family vanished without a trace. Father James Michael Brown, 35, and mother Carolyn Brown, 27, of Port St. Lucie, Florida were both employed as teachers and were the parents of three children: 10-year-old Sheketah Brown, six-year-old Barry Brown, and two-year-old Brandon Brown. The last time Carolyn’s mother, Rosa Walker, had contact with them was on July 4, but when she could not reach them for weeks, she called authorities in August to report them missing.

Rosa lived about five hours away from the family of five in Tallahassee and spoke with her daughter at least once a week. Those calls abruptly stopped and it was determined by authorities that the Browns went missing sometime in mid-July. When police visited the Browns’ residence they found a perplexing scene; it looked as if they all just stopped their lives and vanished. Reports state there was food still sitting on the stove and on the dining room table, and it did not look as if any of their clothes had been taken. One of the rooms had even been painted and mysteriously, Carolyn’s purse was found at the home with her identification cut into pieces. There were no signs of a struggle having taken place.

At the onset of the investigation, police weren’t necessarily treating this as a missing persons case. They reportedly did not believe that there was foul play involved in the family’s disappearance, however, things began to change after neither James nor Carolyn returned to work that school year. In 1984, James was suspended from his teaching job at Lincoln Park Middle School after reportedly pleading no contest to charges that he beat Sheketah with a leather strap. However, he was expected to return to his position.

Later, James began making phone calls to friends and relatives. He was said to have contacted Carolyn’s sister to let her know that if she wanted, she could take everything from the family’s home. When asked about the family’s whereabouts he reportedly told her they were “out there,” but did not specify what that meant.

A friend told authorities that James called him and said he was working a job overseas and he had his young sons, Barry and Brandon, with him. The friend questioned James about Carolyn and Sheketah Brown, but the patriarch did not give a solid answer about their locations. Investigators later tracked down one of the family’s vehicles at an auto repair shop, but the other remains missing. While inspecting the Brown residence, police also found that the newly painted room covered up areas where blood was found.

Weeks after his family went missing, James was located at a hospital in Savannah, Georgia. He reportedly admitted himself under the name Demetrius Jones after suffering a gunshot wound to the head. He would finally reveal his identity after admitting that he murdered his family and attempted to kill himself.

James would go on to detail how he took the lives of his wife and children: Carolyn was sleeping with two-year-old Brandon beside her when James shot his wife and smothered his son with a pillow on July 14. He claimed he traveled about an hour away from Port St. Lucie to Palm Beach County to dispose of their bodies. He said he then took 10-year-old Sheketah and six-year-old Barry about four hours away to Brunswick, Georgia on July 17 and then killed them along Interstate 95. James admitted to shooting Shektah in the face and Barry in the head. He claimed he left their remains somewhere along that same highway.

James was charged and tried for the murder of Carolyn and Sheketah Brown in 1985, but he was ultimately acquitted on the ground of insanity after being diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. James reportedly suffered from hallucinations including having visions and hearing voices that were not there. He did not face charges for the deaths of his sons, but he was admitted to a mental facility before he was transitioned to a halfway house in 1996. The following year, James was a free man who was back into society, but in 2005, he was jailed over a robbery where he reportedly threatened the life of a bank employee.

Meanwhile, investigators combed through the areas when James claimed he disposed of his wife and children’s remains but did not turn up any evidence. Carolyn, Sheketah, Barry, and Brandon Brown remain missing persons.

At the time of her disappearance, Sheketah Brown stood 4 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 65 pounds. She had black/dark brown hair and brown eyes. Sheketah wore eyeglasses. She would be 46-years-old at the time of this publication. Carolyn Brown stood 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 180 pounds. She had black/dark brown hair and brown eyes. She wore eyeglasses and had a gap in the middle of her front teeth. She would be 64-years-old at the time of this publication.

Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the Florida Department of Law Enforcement at (888) 356-4774, the Port Saint Lucie Police Department at (772) 871-5001, or their local authorities. The agency case number is 8508339.

Sheketah Brown, 10: Father Admitted To Killing Entire Family In 1985
 
although there is a possibility that they ran away, I don't think it's plausible that Carolyn ran off with the children and didn't contact anyone... I understand that they would have been afraid of James, of course, but that's not a reason to take such drastic measures. (disappear without a trace) to escape him. There are things that can be done. They could have at least contacted the police and let them know they were alive...
If he confessed to murdering them, it's likely that he murdered them. It's pretty hard to get a man to confess to choking his child to death... I understand false confessions happen and that he probably had a lot of psychological issues, but he seemed to give a pretty detailed and plausible explanation of how the family had disappeared. ...
One thing I can't figure out is how did the jury acquit him? I can't find any information about the details of the trial or if he kept the confession from him throughout the trial or his life...
either way
rest in peace
 

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