Hi Websleuths community,
I’m hoping someone can guide me to the correct forum to post something that’s been bothering me for decades.
In the early 1990s, I was hitchhiking from Key West to Miami and was picked up by a man somewhere around the Middle Keys—maybe Islamorada or nearby. He told me he was a dolphin trainer and even had a photo of himself riding a dolphin, which I remember very clearly. At some point, he drove off the main road and took me into a wooded area, where he casually pulled a handgun out of the glove box while talking to me. After a tense moment, he said something like, “No, you’re OK,” put the gun back, and eventually took me back to the highway. He then took me to a strange little café before I made my excuses and left (though my memory is poor on this and we may have gone to the café before, not after, the incident.
I never reported it at the time, as I had quite a few concerning encounters hitchhiking there, but the whole thing about this particular incident always felt extremely off—as if he was deciding whether to harm me or not. I worry he may have got away with something terrible some time before or after my encounter with him. I recently reported it to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in case it might be relevant to any cold cases. Based on his behaviour, I believe his victims—if any—would likely have been male, possibly other hitchhikers or vulnerable individuals. I can remember quite well what he looked like and wore, and some details about the car we were in and the restaurant he took me to.
I’d like to see if anyone can help identify possible matches to this man or similar unsolved cases. Could anyone advise which Websleuths forum or subforum would be best for something like this?
Thank you in advance—I appreciate the work this community does.