Rocky Lane Taylor was a man whose remains were located in St. Lucie County, Florida in 1988. The body was long-suspected to be his, yet a positive identification did not take place until a DNA match was made with living relatives in Alabama. Although an arrest was never made in the case, Taylor's ex-boyfriend, now deceased, is presumed to be responsible for his death.
Case[]
The victim was known to have last resided in Fort Pierce, Florida, disappearing sometime in May 1988. The same month, Taylor's decomposed body was located along State Route 70 in an agricultural field. The manner of death was ruled to be homicidal violence; he was shot twice in the head and once in the back. The weapon, a shotgun, was left at the scene.
Investigators reportedly believed the remains likely belonged to Taylor, but they were unable to conclusively verify their suspicions. Known companions of his were also unable to identify articles of clothing found at the scene. They did receive information by a former roommate of Taylor and his then-boyfriend. The couple reportedly had a toxic relationship, and Taylor was allegedly an alcoholic and possibly had a history of taking financial advantage of significant others.
In the early months of 2020, living relatives from Taylor's native state of Alabama were located and provided DNA samples. Tests were delayed, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the results determined the formerly unidentified man was indeed Rocky Lane Taylor.
Weeks later, the match was publicized, along with the announcement that the investigation process had concluded, as the prime suspect, once romantically linked to the victim, had died in 2015 from natural causes. There is reportedly sufficient evidence to have made an arrest take place, according to police. The suspect had made incriminating statements shortly after Taylor's disappearance, suggesting he was responsible for the murder.
Gallery[]
Sources[]
- WPTV
- TC Palm
- Rocky Taylor at the Charley Project