FELLSMERE — A body found on a vacant lot earlier this month has been identified as 34-year-old Marty Ray Crawford Jr., who police said had been missing since mid-September.
Marty Ray Crawford Jr.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FELLSMERE POLICE DEPARTMENT
A new property owner found the skeletal remains Oct. 9 in a small wooded section on the lot in the area of North Willow Street and Lincoln Street, north of County Road 512 in Fellsmere. An autopsy was conducted two days later, but Crawford’s cause of death was still unknown.
Fellsmere police said the autopsy findings showed there was no trauma to Crawford’s body. But, officers said Crawford’s manner of death was still unclear. Nor was it known how Crawford got to the site.
“While the lack of trauma to the body may indicate his death was not a homicide, the manner of death is still undetermined and we will not speculate,” Fellsmere police Chief Keith Touchberry said.
Investigators were waiting on toxicology results – which could take up to 12 weeks to be available – from the 19th District Medical Examiner’s Office, officials said.
The investigation
Crawford’s body was taken to the medical examiner’s office shortly after it was discovered in north Fellsmere. Officers said personal items including a cell phone, pair of sunglasses, and a pair of white “Nike” slides were found near Crawford’s body.
A medical examination determined Crawford’s body had been in the area between three and six weeks, police said. Investigators canvassed neighborhoods, local businesses and farms over the next several days to determine if anyone was missing but had not yet been reported to police.
Police suspected the remains possibly belonged to Crawford after several people who were close to him contacted officers starting Oct. 15 after they heard about the investigation.
“They reported that they had not heard from him in a while and observed no Facebook activity from him since September 2nd,” Fellsmere police said in a statement. “Several stated that he had no permanent address and would stay wherever friends would allow.”
Crawford’s acquaintances told police it was not unusual for there to be periods of time where they didn’t hear from him. But, they also said “not hearing from him for this long was abnormal,” officers said.
Police also learned that the cell phone found at the crime scene belonged to a Melbourne resident who had recently hired Crawford to complete work at his house. The resident said he gave Crawford the cell phone, which officers said had no cellular service but could be used where Wi-Fi was available, according to officers.
The resident said that after the work was completed, he gave Crawford a ride back to Fellsmere and dropped him off in front of a local business on North Broadway Street.
Police on Tuesday spoke with Crawford’s father and relatives, who live in Vero Beach. Concerned, the family members decided to report Crawford as missing when they learned Crawford’s friends had not heard from him, police said.
Crawford’s former step-mother told officers she last saw him at 9 a.m. Sept. 19 when she dropped him off at the corner of County Road 512 and South Oak Street.
The woman said she last saw Crawford wearing a pair of khaki shorts, a black or yellow shirt and a pair of white “Nike” slides, police said. Investigators on Tuesday entered Crawford’s information in the National Crime Information Center and Florida Crime Information Center databases.
Officers also put out a public notice Tuesday on Facebook asking the public for help in finding Crawford.
Investigators on Thursday learned from medical examiners that a thumb print from the body was analyzed and confirmed to belong to Crawford, police said. Medical examiners conducted a “hydration” restoration process in order to obtain the print from the remains, officers said.
“This is an on-going investigation,” Fellsmere police said. “More information will be shared once the medical examiners report (to include toxicology results) becomes available.”