FL FL - Thomas Brown, 44, Wood Springs Suites motel, Gainesville, Alachua County, 9 Nov 2018

[KyleTBrown]

Since you've supplied DNA, NamUs will automatically compare Does with your father. You're probably not finding him on NamUs unfortunately.

I figured but I’m exploring all options at this point

 

[GatorFL]

I figured but I’m exploring all options at this point

Just wanted to let you know.

If I were in your shoes I'd be all over the investigators. Just call in to the PD main line, tell them who you are and what case you're calling about and you will be connected to the right investigator. Ask when was the last time a search was conducted. As you know, lots of woods around Gainesville. It would be tough to find remains in there.

When I saw this thread bumped it reminded me of this case from a couple years ago: Found Deceased - FL - Jason Winoker 52, from Tampa, Springhill Suites, Tallahassee, 17 Aug 2021

He was found a year later a short distance away from the hotel which he went missing from.

 

[KyleTBrown]

Just wanted to let you know.

If I were in your shoes I'd be all over the investigators. Just call in to the PD main line, tell them who you are and what case you're calling about and you will be connected to the right investigator. Ask when was the last time a search was conducted. As you know, lots of woods around Gainesville. It would be tough to find remains in there.

When I saw this thread bumped it reminded me of this case from a couple years ago: Found Deceased - FL - Jason Winoker 52, from Tampa, Springhill Suites, Tallahassee, 17 Aug 2021

He was found a year later a short distance away from the hotel which he went missing from.

Thank you for the advice! I will definitely take it and contact Gainesville PD to see what my options are. I know the most recent search to my knowledge was early 2019 as I was down there helping it. I want to go down there again and maybe search the wooded area near the hotel. From what I know all searches were conducted around the homeless shelter, but none near the hotel.

 

[GatorFL]

Thank you for the advice! I will definitely take it and contact Gainesville PD to see what my options are. I know the most recent search to my knowledge was early 2019 as I was down there helping it. I want to go down there again and maybe search the wooded area near the hotel. From what I know all searches were conducted around the homeless shelter, but none near the hotel.

I'd ask the detective about organizing a search of the woods. See what kind of resources they have. Finding a body that has been there 5 years in brush and woods will be challenging. As you can see from my screen name I've spent a lot of time in Gainesville and some of it has been spent trampling through the woods.

If you do organize a search, message me here and I would be happy to come up and participate. I have a kid in school at UF, maybe we can recruit some help from the student body.

 

[KyleTBrown]

I'd ask the detective about organizing a search of the woods. See what kind of resources they have. Finding a body that has been there 5 years in brush and woods will be challenging. As you can see from my screen name I've spent a lot of time in Gainesville and some of it has been spent trampling through the woods.

If you do organize a search, message me here and I would be happy to come up and participate. I have a kid in school at UF, maybe we can recruit some help from the student body.

I will keep you updated. I have the detectives number and I am going to call him when I have the time to step away from work to see about organizing a search. Regardless I am coming down to Florida to do some searching with a few people as well. I want to search around the hotel’s wooded area if possible

 

[PayrollNerd]

Also,
I am going to try to pull in a couple of our longstanding Websleuths members.... they are outstanding around building timelines with cases. I don't know how they do it all.... but I also don't know what we would do without their hard work that benefits all of us. One of the two is also a Floridian.... and that always helps in a case to have local knowledge.

@Niner and @PayrollNerd .... i hope you see this . Perhaps you can give @KyleTBrown some ideas and motiviation.

I am out of town at the moment. I should be back in Sarasota Friday. I can take a more thorough look at this case next week.

After reading the thread, I'd say another search is long overdue. Maybe a grid search and a water search if there are retention ponds nearby.

Early November is typically warm days and cool nights. So he was dressed appropriately with jeans and sneakers. You never venture into the woods in FL without jeans and sturdy shoes. Did they ever come across his blue mountain bicycle?

 

[KyleTBrown]

I am out of town at the moment. I should be back in Sarasota Friday. I can take a more thorough look at this case next week.

After reading the thread, I'd say another search is long overdue. Maybe a grid search and a water search if there are retention ponds nearby.

Early November is typically warm days and cool nights. So he was dressed appropriately with jeans and sneakers. You never venture into the woods in FL without jeans and sturdy shoes. Did they ever come across his blue mountain bicycle?

We never found the bike. And he always wore a short sleeve no matter the weather. Even when he lived in Jersey in the snow it was short sleeves. I am organizing a search with both family/ friends and the police department. Aiming for me to get down there late November to do a search.