Nearly 40 years after a man was found bound and shot multiple times in an execution-style killing in Florida, authorities have identified him and are searching for new clues about who may have been behind his murder.
It was Oct. 7, 1986, when the man's body was discovered in a grove area in St. Lucie County.
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WATCH HEREHe'd been bound and shot multiple times but robbery was ruled out as a motive since he had a large amount of cash in his pockets and was wearing expensive clothing including Jordache jeans, a Hennessy signature button-down shirt, and Nocona cowboy boots.
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St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office detectives investigated the killing but no suspects could be identified and the victim, who remained a John Doe, was buried without a name in the Ft. Pierce public cemetery.
But in 2019, a detective in the sheriff's office Cold Case Unit, Paul Taylor, reopened the investigation, and in 2020, the victim's body was exhumed for DNA testing.
DNA results remained insufficient until March of 2024, when the Florida Department of Law Enforcement approved grant funding for advanced testing by Othram, a lab specializing in DNA identification from degraded remains.
This past January, a report identified potential cousins of the victim, which led detectives to a possible half-brother.
Further testing confirmed the victim’s identity as Blaine Louis Brown Jr., who was 39 at the time of his death.
Brown, also known by the nickname "Bunny," had been reported missing to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 7, 1986, the same day his body was found in Fort Pierce.
Family members told detectives Brown was last seen on Sept. 26, 1986, when he told relatives he was driving to Miami in connection with horse-related business.
Brown's leased 1986 gray Ford pickup truck was later found abandoned in a Miami parking lot.
Brown was the owner of Double B Farms, Inc., a horse ranch in Ocala, and Brown’s Fine Furniture in the same city.
Interviews with family members indicated Brown may have been involved in drug smuggling, and he had ties to Ocala, Miami, Fort Pierce, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the 1980s, authorities said.
Investigators are still trying to identify the suspect or suspects responsible for Brown’s murder.
"I want to commend Detective Paul Taylor and retired State Attorney Bruce Colton for their tireless dedication and commitment to this case," St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro said in a statement Monday. "Their relentless pursuit of the truth and years of meticulous investigative work have brought us closer to justice for Blaine Brown Jr. and his family. We will not stop until those responsible are held accountable."
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Taylor at 772-359-4407.
