CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — Detectives are seeking assistance to retrieve information from several people who may have information on the 1971 murder of John Deal.
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office says Deal was shot and killed on a stretch on Harbor Boulevard in Port Charlotte but his body was never found.
Investigators learned of the shooting after a local resident found evidence in the roadway. William Duffy and a woman were driving and noticed the items. They say Duffy found a man's hat, broken glasses, a bank notice, a large amount of blood, and a 22-caliber shell casing. The evidence leads them to believe that John Deal was killed there.
Current Cold Case detectives located a nephew in Georgia and obtained a DNA sample. His sample matched the sample found at the crime scene indicating the two were related.
If you have any information about this crime call Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office at 941-639-2101.
