Sunday, April 14, 2013

Two Unsolved Murders in the Florida Keys

25 years and still counting

NOTE: The following information comes directly from the website of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Patty Lanza, 4 years old, murdered on Little Torch Key in 1988

Patricia Lanza was just four years old on July 2, 1988 when she was murdered. Patty had attended a fourth of July party with her mother at a home on Gato Road, Little Torch Key. She was last seen by her mother at 10 p.m. Her body was found nearby the following afternoon. She had been raped and hit in the head, then her body was thrown in some bushes off the side of the road.

Several hundred people have since been interviewed in relation to the case. A man who was at the party admitted to being with Patty, but said she was alive when he last saw her. He was arrested shortly after the crime on charges of false imprisonment, but the charges were later dropped for lack of sufficient evidence. He died the following year of natural causes. His DNA was later tested and he was excluded as a suspect in the crime.

No one has ever been arrested for her murder. Anyone with information about this case should contact Major Crimes Detective Geni Hernandez at 305-809-3040 or 305-797-0046.
Lisa Sanders, 20 years old, murdered in 1988 on No Name Key
Lisa Sanders was just 20 years old when she was brutally murdered on No Name Key December 16th, 1988. Lisa lived on Big Pine Key. She was a small woman, just 4’10 inches tall, 106 pounds when she died.

That night, she attended a party with friends at the end of No Name Road on No Name Key. Her friends last saw her leaving on foot about 9:30 p.m.

Her parents reported her missing the following day and a short time later, her body was found lying beside a dirt road near a gravel pit on No Name Key. She had been beaten, stabbed and dragged behind a car by a rope tied around her neck.

Since that time, hundreds of people have been interviewed by detectives and her case continues to be investigated but no one has yet been charged with the crime. Major Crimes Sgt. Linda Mixon has been assigned to this case. Anyone with information about it can contact her at 305-797-0089.
 

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Trying to reach out to members of Sander's family.
brownstonelita@aol.com

Unknown said...

This contact info is in the News Barometer paper:
Becky (Sanders) Zaharion. 561.346.9663

Franklin said...

There are posters up all over the area right now!
Anyone interested in solving this “mystery”? Lots of locals have “stories”… really one story….
Who is interested in hearing the local story????

Lydia305 said...

Live here in the keys Charles brandt killed these people trying to get in touch with someone from the family erinlynch75@gmail.com

sara said...

My daughter is a reencarnation of this little Patty Lanza she can tell you stories of ghow she was hurt and where its frightening. We have no strings to this story for her to know and to look just like her is so amazing. I wish there was some closure to this story so my daughter can be at peace with her mind.