FL FL - Brenda Riley, 13, Merritt Island, 24 May 1971

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Brenda Riley, 13, eighth grader
Unsolved murder
24 May 1971
Brevard County, Florida

Brenda Riley was a 13 year old, eighth grader from Merritt Island. In the late afternoon hours of May 24, 1971, Brenda told her father she was going to a nearby store to purchase a birthday gift for her sister.

By 8:00 p.m. on that evening, Brenda had failed to return home, and the Brevard County Sheriff's Office was notified by her father. A search of the area was conducted, but Brenda was not located.

Although Brenda was 13 years of age, she had learning disabilities relating to hearing problems, and was somewhat immature for her age.

On May 27, 1971, a lawn maintenance worker discovered the body of Brenda Riley in an overgrown field several blocks from her residence, off Catalina Isle Drive in Merritt Island. Brenda's body was identified through dental records the next day.

Investigation revealed that Brenda may have been befriended by a white male, approximately 18 to 20 years of age, at a nearby convenience store. This person has never been located or identified.

A composite drawing was completed in 1971 by witnesses who observed the subject walking with the victim in the area of the Sunoco Gas Station and U-Tote-M Convenience Store.

Source:
Brevard County Sheriff's Office

LINK:
http://www.brevardsheriff.com/ciu/cold_cases.htm
 
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Is this anywhere near Jacksonville Florida where Glen Davenport went missing and was found dead? Just wondered. He was 10 years old and it was 1968 I think.
 
Rhett said:
Is this anywhere near Jacksonville Florida where Glen Davenport went missing and was found dead? Just wondered. He was 10 years old and it was 1968 I think.
Click to expand...
Several hours away, but on the I95 corridor.
 
Unsolved Homicide of Brenda Riley
riley.jpg

Brenda Riley​
Brenda Riley was a 13 year old, eighth grader from Merritt Island. In the late afternoon hours of May 24, 1971, Brenda told her father she was going to a nearby store to purchase a birthday gift for her sister. By 8:00 p.m. on that evening, Brenda had failed to return home, and the Brevard County Sheriff's Office was notified by her father. A search of the area was conducted, but Brenda was not located. Although Brenda was 13 years of age, she had learning disabilities relating to hearing problems, and was somewhat immature for her age.
On May 27, 1971, a lawn maintenance worker discovered the body of Brenda Riley in an overgrown field several blocks from her residence, off Catalina Isle Drive in Merritt Island. Brenda's body was identified through dental records the next day.
Investigation revealed that Brenda may have been befriended by a white male, approximately 18 to 20 years of age, at a nearby convenience store. This person has never been located or identified. The composite was completed in 1971 by witnesses who observed the subject walking with the victim in the area of the Sunoco Gas Station and U-Tote-M Convenience Store.
Any persons providing information in reference to this case may be eligible for a reward up to $5,000.00.
​
 
It is most likely that Brenda was not the first or the last victim of this guy. I wonder if there might be other cases which are linked to her murder.
 
I knew Brenda Riley we were in the same girl scout troup. There is so information that was not printed and what was printed was wrong. Her body was was found very decomposed it was Speculated that she was given decomposing medicine and she had been redressed in very young children’s clothing. The police suspected a doctor on the island was involved.
 
I wonder if there are any other cold cases which might have similarities in geography, victimology, or methods.
 
VIDEO: ‘Cookin’ Up Justice’ With Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey’ Highlights 37-Year Old Cold Case

http://spacecoastdaily.com/2018/05/...-wayne-ivey-highlights-37-year-old-cold-case/

CUJ-1971-CC-580.jpg

37-year old cold case involving 13-year old Brenda Riley, whose body was discovered off Catalina Isle Drive, only several blocks from her residence back on May 27, 1971.

The initial investigation uncovered that Brenda may have been befriended by an unknown white male, 18-20-years old at a convenience store.

This person has never been located or identified.
Click to expand...
 
That’s a pretty distinctive sketch. I wonder if it has been compared to pics in that era of known and arrested Perps? I hope they run the DNA again, this Perp didn’t stop at one, and I bet he is in prison...if not dead by now.
 
riley-150x150.jpg


Unsolved Homicide of Brenda Riley

Brenda Riley was reported missing on May 24, 1971. On May 27, 1971, a lawn maintenance worker discovered the body of Brenda Riley in an overgrown field several blocks from her residence off Catalina Isle Drive in Merritt Island.

Any persons providing information in reference to this case may be eligible for a reward up to $5,000.00.

LINK:

Unsolved Homicides : Brevard County Sheriff's Office
 
This is my “theory” for your review, it may be unrelated, it may just ALL be a coincidence.

You say there was speculation Brenda was given decomposing medicine and dressed in little girls clothing and the police suspected a doctor on the island?

I can’t think of a doctor I can list who lived on Merritt Island, but I can think of a licensed pharmacist who worked in a hospital, with many relatives living on Merritt Island in the 70’s.

Your statement “dressed in little girls clothes” brings to acting out fantasies or making *advertiser censored* ;
example, the IBM eyewitness who spotted the two sisters dressed in school uniforms.
Also LLW talked of “making Easter *advertiser censored*” referring to the Lyon sisters abduction.

Brenda Riley had left home on May 24, 1971 at 85 Melbourne Ave Orlando FL to be found
at Catalina Drive about 15 minutes drive away three days later. May 24 1971 was a new moon.
Similar to Eileen Kelly, a possible victim of LLW/group.

Brenda had learning disabilities, with hearing problems which brings to mind Carol Majane,
mentioned by Skipper relating to possible connections concerning LLW/group.

Brenda Riley’s mother (Sears) was raised in Hyattsville.

Orlando FL is on Welch’s timeline in 1977, years later.
And Lloyd Welch says “coincidences happen”.
 
.
And Lloyd Welch says “coincidences happen” source: The Last Stone.

Also, my apologies, I meant to write Wendy Eaton, not Majane [/QUOTE]
 
kat-999 said:
I knew Brenda Riley we were in the same girl scout troup. There is so information that was not printed and what was printed was wrong. Her body was was found very decomposed it was Speculated that she was given decomposing medicine and she had been redressed in very young children’s clothing. The police suspected a doctor on the island was involved.
Click to expand...

Most of this statement is untrue. She was not redressessed, and it was not speculated that she was given any decomposing medicine. And they have had a suspect since the beginning, but could not prove it, whom has been in prison since the 80’s for another murder he committed, and was caught.
 
rosesfromangels said:
That’s a pretty distinctive sketch. I wonder if it has been compared to pics in that era of known and arrested Perps? I hope they run the DNA again, this Perp didn’t stop at one, and I bet he is in prison...if not dead by now.
Click to expand...


They did resume her body a couple years ago but found no new leads. We lived 2 houses down and my sister was one of her best friends and has spoken to her brother in the last few years.
 
Fireball said:
They did resume her body a couple years ago but found no new leads. We lived 2 houses down and my sister was one of her best friends and has spoken to her brother in the last few years.
Click to expand...
Thanks for joining the discussion. Your insights are highly valuable. You might consider getting verified as an insider; it gives you additional rights when posting. If interested hit the report button and ask a mod to guide you to that process.

Amateur opinion and speculation
 
Fireball said:
Most of this statement is untrue. She was not redressessed, and it was not speculated that she was given any decomposing medicine. And they have had a suspect since the beginning, but could not prove it, whom has been in prison since the 80’s for another murder he committed, and was caught.
Click to expand...
The information
 
Brenda was my friend a couple years older but we were in the same Girl Scout Troop. My family was friends of her family. The information came from a Investigator on the case.
 
Kat 999 , foureyes, and fire ball. All of you are posting wrong information or things that are not true. Brenda was not in a girl scout troop, and you where not her best friend or even her friend at all. And who lived two doors down?? To the right of her house, it was empty and to the left of her house no kids lived there. I lived right across the street from her. I was her best friend! We used to play ball in the 1/2 circle street (like a cul de sac), we swam in her pool all the time, her mother used to have her friends over on Saturday nights to play cards and I used to spend the night there every Saturday night. Her sisters are twins and her brother was wanting to become a cop. I was twelve and Brenda was 13. We went to Edgewood Jr High. Her mother said to me a few days after her disappearance, "this could have been you". I never understood how and why this happened to Brenda. I used to go to U Tot Em everyday to buy candy. I never thought anything like this could happen. Four years later my family moved to Calif. I was 16. Many years later approx. 20 years, I was living in Las Vegas NV and working in a bank. Edwin Riley (Brendas dad) walked in to open an account. I reconized him immediately. I said Hi Mr Riley. He said "do I know you?" I told him who I was and he remembered me. He said to me "you know, they never found who did that to Brenda."
 
what are the odds you would have encountered her dad in a bank all the way across the country 20 years later? astronomical.

As for decomposition, id imagine it is quick in Florida in late May.
 
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