DAVIE, FLA. (WSVN) – Davie police are asking for the public’s help in solving a 44-year-old cold case homicide after reopening the investigation with the assistance of new DNA technology.
The case involves Delores Bailey, who was 24 years old when she disappeared during an overnight shift at a 7-Eleven in Hollywood on Jan. 21, 1982.
Detectives believe Bailey was abducted from the store.
She was reported missing and was never seen again, leaving behind a husband and young son, police said.
Nearly 11 months later, on Dec. 8, 1982, a landscaper discovered skeletal remains in a wooded area near Griffin Road and the Florida Turnpike, police said.
Davie detectives and the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene, and dental records were used to identify the remains as Bailey’s.
The medical examiner ruled Bailey’s death a homicide, determining the cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds, authorities said.
Detectives from the Hollywood Police Department, Broward Sheriff’s Office and Davie Police Department investigated the case at the time but eventually exhausted all leads.
Now, more than four decades later, Davie police say advances in DNA technology have prompted a renewed review of the evidence in hopes of identifying potential suspects.
Investigators are urging anyone with information about the case or those involved to come forward.
Davie police have partnered with Broward County Crime Stoppers, which is running a mobile billboard across Broward County to generate tips. A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information that leads to an arrest.
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