FL FL - Darlene Messer, 36, store clerk abducted & murdered, Lake City, 18 Sep 1989

[meanmaryjean]

UNSOLVED: The 1989 murder of Darlene Messer. | firstcoastnews.com

Per the article, she moved to LC to marry a death row inmate at the Raiford Prison.

I'm moving to LC next week and would appreciate any insight or locals chiming in.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Published: 10:20 PM EDT May 19, 2021

Snips:
LAKE CITY, Fla. — On a small bridge, over the shallow Swift Creek, Darlene Messer’s life came a violent end.

Her body found crumpled in the water below, her face was beaten beyond recognition.

On Sep.18 of 1989, Messer was working the overnight shift at the Suwannee Swifty, a convenience store along SR-100 in Lake City.

Lt. Todd Lussier with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office says the last people to see Messer alive was a Georgia couple that stopped to get coffee and snacks at the store around 12:38 a.m. He says the couple hung out on the tailgate of their truck for around 15 minutes, then went to leave.

"As they were leaving, they remember this vehicle specifically and vividly because they almost struck it...they describe it as a Pontiac Grand Prix, in their words a 'Heinz 57 color' vehicle," tells Lussier.

Within minutes the silent alarm would go off in the store alerting local authorities. But when they arrived, they found a store in disarray. Money and items from the counter were strewn on the ground. Messer was gone.

Investigators in 1989 began looking into a suspect who had committed a robbery in Starke around the same time. They had a tip that someone had seen a blue car in the area with a woman screaming inside. Their suspect had a blue car and a violent history.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Starke, FL is out in the middle of nowhere SW of Jacksonville, and in 1989 would have only likely been traveled by locals and contractors to the Starke Prison. This had to be someone local and she may have known them. They ruled out via DNA, whoever lost their belt, and the two former coworkers.

Where she worked on SR-100, where she was found 13 miles away on SR-100 - what is the proximity of these two locations in relation to the robbery that was committed? What is the timeline? Days, hours, minutes?

 

[JasonFutchLakeCityFL]

May I ask why the subject was changed to “Presumed Abducted”? It was an obvious abduction and murder in this case, especially based on the crime scene photos of the store that are available. The store was a complete mess and the register was ransacked. Darlene’s belongings were still in the store, as well as her car.

 

[JasonFutchLakeCityFL]

Starke, FL is out in the middle of nowhere SW of Jacksonville, and in 1989 would have only likely been traveled by locals and contractors to the Starke Prison. This had to be someone local and she may have known them. They ruled out via DNA, whoever lost their belt, and the two former coworkers.

Where she worked on SR-100, where she was found 13 miles away on SR-100 - what is the proximity of these two locations in relation to the robbery that was committed? What is the timeline? Days, hours, minutes?

It’s a very complicated timeline with this case. However, regarding the question of how far each location is, it’s roughly 15 minutes from one to the other. I go over the bridge she was found at in Union County quite frequently and always think about her when I do. She was in the creek below the bridge for roughly 48 hours. She certainly would not have easily been found had it not been for the watchful eye of the Norfolk Southern conductor that spotted her body under the bridge as he was passing by.

 

[PayrollNerd]

To have beat her face beyond recognition is rage. There was money on the ground so she was the target, not necessarily the money? Maybe in their struggle to abduct, they dropped the money. I wonder if she was able to hit the silent alarm before she was taken. They probably know who it was but is that person still living?

 

[JasonFutchLakeCityFL]

To have beat her face beyond recognition is rage. There was money on the ground so she was the target, not necessarily the money? Maybe in their struggle to abduct, they dropped the money. I wonder if she was able to hit the silent alarm before she was taken. They probably know who it was but is that person still living?

And also yes, she managed to trip the silent alarm before it went down. The silent alarm in the store consisted of a money clip in the cash drawer with a folded $20 in it. If she flips the clip up and removes the money, it trips the alarm.

 

[bykerladi]

That amount of violence does seem to indicate that SHE was the target, not the money. If money was the reason, why leave it behind and instead drag DM out to the creek? Sounds like she had to be driven there, if its 15 minutes away. I highly doubt someone carried her there. And again, if money was the issue, kill her there and then leave, why drag her body around?

The husband was still in jail. She moved there to marry him. So its unlikely to be a former flame of hers. I wonder if they killed her to get to the husband?

Interestingly the husband was convicted of robbery and murder.
Charles Dwight Messer, Petitioner-appellee, Cross-appellant, v. State of Florida, Respondent-appellant, Cross-appellee, 834 F.2d 890 (11th Cir. 1988) :: Justia

 

[dotr]

Jan 8 2023 rbbm

Suwannee Valley Unsolved: Event to highlight 3 cold cases in Suwannee, Columbia County

The event will be hosted by a group called Suwannee Valley Unsolved and will be held at Hatch Park Community Center in Branford, Florida.

www.news4jax.com

''COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. – Family members and investigators — both former and current — are holding an event Monday to put a spotlight on three separate cold cases that took place in Suwannee County and Columbia County.

The event will be hosted by a group called Suwannee Valley Unsolved and will be held at Hatch Park Community Center in Branford, Florida.

Jason Futch, the group’s founder, said he was a young criminal justice student when he learned of the disappearance of 16-year-old Fred Laster. Laster’s story is what motivated him to help spread awareness about unsolved cases in his community.''

''Now, with his group Suwannee Valley Unsolved, Futch aims to help shed light on other cold cases.

At Monday’s presentation, the community will hear about Darlene Messer’s case. She was abducted from the Suwannee Swifty Convenience Store in 1989. Her body was later found in Union County. And Deborah Howard, who disappeared in 1976.''


''The event is Monday night in Branford and the public is encouraged to be there. The doors will open at Hatch Park Community Center (403 SE Craven Avenue, Branford, FL) at 5:30 p.m. and the event will begin at 6 p.m. and continue until 8 p.m. Seating will be first come first served''

 

[meanmaryjean]

DARLENE MESSER REWARD UPDATE:
The Florida Sheriffs Association is partnering with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and Crime Stoppers of Columbia County to offer an additional reward of up to $5,000 as part of the Florida Sheriffs Association Criminal Apprehension Assistance Program (CAAP). This reward is valid until 5-9-2023 . The increased reward is to encourage information that can lead to the arrest of the person responsible for the death of Darlene Messer.

Suwannee Valley Unsolved, Inc. | Lake City FL

Suwannee Valley Unsolved, Inc., Lake City, Florida. 4,225 likes · 148 talking about this. To provide support, advocacy, and resources for families of unsolved homicide and missing persons cases, and...

www.facebook.com

 

[SuwanneeValleyUnsolved]

DARLENE MESSER REWARD UPDATE:
The Florida Sheriffs Association is partnering with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and Crime Stoppers of Columbia County to offer an additional reward of up to $5,000 as part of the Florida Sheriffs Association Criminal Apprehension Assistance Program (CAAP). This reward is valid until 5-9-2023 . The increased reward is to encourage information that can lead to the arrest of the person responsible for the death of Darlene Messer.

Suwannee Valley Unsolved, Inc. | Lake City FL

Suwannee Valley Unsolved, Inc., Lake City, Florida. 4,225 likes · 148 talking about this. To provide support, advocacy, and resources for families of unsolved homicide and missing persons cases, and...

www.facebook.com

I spoke with Cindy with Crime Stoppers of Columbia County this afternoon. The enhanced reward, which was extended to May 2024, has now expired. The Florida Sheriff's Association chose not to extend the reward on her case, as well as three others.