Murder case still unsolved 15 years later

SJC Sheriff's Office looking into 2001death of Lariss Forbes, 27

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate a 15-year-old unsolved murder case.

Investigators said they are looking into the death of Larissa Forbes, 27. Her body was found in 2001 floating in the Tolomato River, the Intracoastal Waterway behind Cap's Seafood Restaurant in Vilano Beach. 

SJCSO Cmdr. Chuck Mulligan explained why the case is being reexamined, despite not having any new leads.

"We're doing this with all of the cases," Mulligan said.

Mulligan said this is the third time that detectives are looking into the Forbes case, along with giving other unsolved cases another look. 

"We know that each one of those individuals that are on our website, out there for the public to view all the time, is that they all have family members. And we would love to bring closure, as time moves on," Mulligan said.

Out of the past 25 unsolved cases that the Sheriff's Office has investigated over the last decade, Mulligan said they've been able to bring closure in eight of them. He said they are never cold cases.

"Because cold means that maybe it's forgotten. And we never forget the cases," Mulligan said.

The case of Jesse "Pee Wee" Whitley took 20 years to solve, with the help of a woman who came forward years later, according to the Sheriff's Office. 

Mulligan said time is on their side. 

"Time, sometimes, can work in your favor in these kinds of cases," Mulligan said. "Maybe someone back in the time when this occurred had moved away from St. Augustine, but then moved back and heard something. So, they hear that we're re-initializing these cases and they come forward with something."

Investigators said a big factor about reinitializing cases is the help of the public -- someone knows something, and it's time for them to speak up.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 904-824-8304.