JACKSONVILLE – A Jacksonville man has found out that the evidence in his mother's cold case from 1994 was thrown out.
Clifford Crady received the news when he went to check on the progress of his later mother Laura's death case.
"I was quite upset," said Crady.
No one called him to let him know, he said.
"I am mad nobody investigated her murder as a normal murder would be investigated. I'm mad that it was brushed under the carpet so to speak," said Crady.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said when Laura Crady was found floating in the Ortega River in 1994, JSO deemed her death undetermined and the medical examiner ruled her death a homicide. After a review of the case, JSO said the discrepancy in filing allowed them to throw the evidence out. But after recent review of the case, JSO Chief Tom Hackey said they made a mistake.
"Because it was listed as an undetermined death, it didn't fall into the category that we need to look at. Frankly, it needs to be looked at and it will be looked at," said Hackey.
In the mean time, Crady said years of investigations have been lost along with valuable physical evidence that was thrown out. JSO said that shouldn't make a difference in how they investigate the case and hope recent technology advances will make closure a reality for Crady and his family.
"It would mean the world to me it would put a lot of feelings to rest a lot of wonders to rest. I'd like to put a face to the actions that took her life," said Crady.