ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — The body of a man who was found in St. Lucie County nearly 40 years ago has finally been identified, the sheriff's office announced Monday.
The agency's cold case unit positively identified the victim of a 1986 cold case homicide as Blaine Louis Brown Jr., who was 39 years old at the time of his death.
Brown, who was nicknamed "Bunny," was discovered on Oct. 7, 1986, "bound and shot multiple times in an execution style" killing in a grove area about a quarter mile southwest of Selvitz Road on Ralls Road.
Investigators said at the time of the killing, robbery was ruled out as a motive, since the victim was found with a large sum of cash in his pockets and wearing expensive clothing, including Jordache jeans, a Hennessy signature button-down shirt and Nocona cowboy boots.
Detectives at the time were unable to identify any suspects in the case, and the victim remained a John Doe. Brown was eventually buried without a name in the Fort Pierce public cemetery.
In 2019, the sheriff's office said Detective Paul Taylor reopened the investigation "with renewed focus and new technology" that included funding through the Florida Sheriff's Association's Cold Case Advisory Commission for DNA testing.
However, the sheriff's office said initial DNA analysis yielded only a partial DNA profile.
Additional samples were collected in 2020 after a court-authorized exhumation of the victim's remains.
However, investigators said DNA results remained insufficient for forensic genetic genealogy until March 2024. That's when the Florida Department of Law Enforcement approved grant funding for advanced testing by Othram, a lab specializing in DNA identification from degraded remains.
On Jan. 8, 2025, the sheriff's office said a genealogy report identified potential first cousins of the victim.
"Subsequent contact with several family members, including a half-brother in Ohio, led to the submission of a confirmatory DNA sample," the sheriff's office said. "Testing confirmed the victim's identity as Blaine Louis Brown Jr."
Investigators said Brown was reported missing to the Marion County, Florida, Sheriff's Office on Oct. 7, 1986 — the same day his body was found in Fort Pierce.
According to his family, he was last seen on Sept. 26, 1986, telling relatives he was driving to Miami in connection with a horse-related business.
"The day that he disappeared, he told his wife and his two sons that he was headed to Miami to deal with horses and he disappeared," Taylor said Monday. "Throughout his entire life, his son thought his dad had just decided not to come home anymore."
Investigators said his leased 1986 gray Ford pickup truck was later found abandoned in a Miami parking lot.
Brown was the owner of Double B Farms, Inc., a horse ranch in Ocala, and Brown's Fine Furniture in the same city.
The sheriff's office said interviews with family members indicated that Brown may have been involved in narcotics smuggling, and he had ties to Ocala, Miami, Fort Pierce, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during the 1980s.
"I want to commend Detective Paul Taylor and retired State Attorney Bruce Colton for their tireless dedication and commitment to this case," Sheriff Richard Del Toro said in a statement. "Their relentless pursuit of the truth and years of meticulous investigative work have brought us closer to justice for Blaine Brown Jr. and his family. We will not stop until those responsible are held accountable."
The agency's cold case unit is still working to identify the person or persons responsible for Brown's killing.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Taylor at (772) 359-4407 or email at taylorp@stluciesheriff.com. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers.
