POMONA PARK, FL – The identity of a man whose remains were discovered in a shallow grave in December 1980 has been confirmed by the local sheriff’s department. The victim, a Marine and Vietnam veteran named William Irving Monroe III, was found in a wooded area in Pomona Park, Florida, after being brutally murdered.
Monroe was found with gunshot wounds, blunt force trauma to his chest, and a hairline fracture at the base of his skull, according to Putnam County Sheriff Gator DeLoach. Previously known as John Doe #36, Monroe was initially believed to be a migrant worker.
The identification process proved challenging due to the deterioration of biological samples. However, Othram labs persevered in constructing a viable DNA sample from the evidence available. By June last year, the lab had made significant progress.
By September, the focus shifted to tracing Monroe’s genealogy, including potential siblings. In January, officials announced a promising lead – the remains were possibly linked to Monroe, who had no records after 1979.
Upon contacting Monroe’s brother, investigators discovered that Monroe had ties to Putnam County, specifically Pomona Park, contradicting the initial migrant worker theory. Monroe’s ex-wife raised their two sons in the area, one of whom, Michael, was only 8 when his father disappeared.
Monroe’s family had long suspected that he was murdered in the Virgin Islands, a theory that has now been debunked. Sheriff DeLoach confirmed that the identification of Monroe’s remains provides the family with some closure.
Monroe’s father had enlisted a private investigator when Monroe first disappeared. However, due to Monroe’s transient lifestyle, no leads were found for a missing persons’ investigation. The focus of the investigation has now shifted to identifying a suspect.
Monroe was last seen at a convenience store in 1980. A labor camp driver reported picking up an individual matching Monroe’s description around the same time.
Monroe’s brother, Richard, revealed that William had PTSD from his Vietnam service and had ceased contact with the family in 1980. His son Michael described his father as his “hero.”