Florida
Body found floating near Florida bridge ID’ed as Virginia man 3 decades later
“We are happy that we are able to provide the family some answers and some closure as to what happened with their loved one,” Michael Walek, deputy chief for Clearwater police, said in a statement.
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After being called “Pinellas County John Doe 1993” for the past 31 years, a man whose body was found floating near a bridge in Florida has been identified, police said.
The Clearwater Police Department announced on Monday, June 2, that the deceased man who was discovered near the Clearwater Pass bridge on Nov. 29, 1993, is Edman Eric Gleed, who was 84 at the time of his death and reported missing by his son in Fairfax County, Virginia.
When Gleed’s body was initially found near the east side of the bridge leading to Sand Key, a neatly folded pile of clothing was discovered on the shoreline near a lifeguard stand on Clearwater Beach, police said, adding that an ID was not found on the clothing or with the body.
At the time, an autopsy of Gleed’s body was inconclusive; thus, the manner and cause of death weren’t determined, but foul play was not suspected, police said. The medical examiner’s office did find that the victim was a white male between the ages of 60 and 80, 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighed 118 pounds, with short gray hair and blue eyes, according to the department.
How was Edman Gleed identified?
To identify the remains, more than three decades later, Clearwater police detectives worked with the medical examiner’s office and Moxxy Forensic Investigations, a nonprofit that provides investigative genetic genealogy services to law enforcement. Additional samples of Gleed’s DNA were submitted for testing in concert with investigative genetic genealogy, police said.
Kaycee Connelly, the Moxxy team lead for the case, said they found DNA matches that were “either living in or recent immigrants from England, which was quite unexpected for a person found in Pinellas County, Florida.”
“Our team of volunteer genealogists uncovered numerous ancestors from various parts of England, stretching back to the mid-1700s, to connect the DNA matches with one another,” Connelly said. “Because of recent immigration and the estimated age range of the man at the time of his death, we were looking for very distant connections.”
The Moxxy team did eventually find a possible identity for the man, but to confirm, they found his next of kin, who happened to be his son, and collected a buccal swab, police said. The swab was compared to the profile of the unidentified man, which determined the two had a parent-child relationship, according to the department.
‘We are happy that we are able to provide the family some answers’
Once the relationship was established, police officially identified the body as belonging to Gleed. Police spoke with the man’s son, who is 94 and lives in North Carolina, on Monday, June 2.
“We are happy that we are able to provide the family some answers and some closure as to what happened with their loved one,” Michael Walek, deputy chief for Clearwater police, said in a statement.
Ed Adams, the Moxxy team assistant for the case, said this situation has “been close to the hearts of everyone on the team.”
“We are all honored to have played a part in returning Edman Gleed to his family,” Adams added.
Florida
Florida State recruiting: Georgia edge rusher Jaxon Holly commits to FSU over Auburn, Virginia Tech, Georgia
The Florida State Seminoles landed a verbal commitment from a defensive lineman today, as Jaxon Holly has decided to join #Tribe27.
Holly is a 6’3, 235 pound edge rusher who plays for Roswell High School in Georgia. 247Sports Composite currently has him as a three-star, ranked as the 611th best player nationally (52nd best Edge, 76th best player in GA). He holds three dozen offers and chose the Seminoles over fellow finalists Auburn and Virginia Tech, along with Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, LSU, Michigan, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M, among many others. He obviously wasn’t a priority for some of those programs but certainly was for the Tigers and Hokies. The Bulldogs were also in contention at one point.
Holly was limited to five games last season but still managed 32 tackles (seven for loss), 12 QB hits, two sacks, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. FSU’s edge rusher board has thinned considerably over the past month, and Holly represents a nice win for Nick Williams on the trail. He’s likely going to need at least one season in the weight room before meaningfully contributing, but the tools are there for Holly to be a solid rotational player.
2027 Florida State recruiting: Current commitments
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Grace Reilly recommends several restaurants in the Stuart and Port Salerno area.
USA TODAY bestselling author Grace Reilly next month will release her new book “Yes, Chef,” which was inspired by several Treasure Coast cities and restaurants.
The story is set in Diamond Bay, a fictional town meant to be a mashup of different cities from Fort Pierce to Hobe Sound.
A disgraced chef, Jack, returns to his hometown to take over the restaurant his late mentor left him. To revive the restaurant, he teams up with a social media influencer, Poppy, the daughter of his ex-boss.
Since the story was inspired by local restaurants, TCPalm asked Reilly about her favorite restaurants, and here are her recommendations.
Grace Reilly’s Treasure Coast restaurant recommendations
- District Table and Bar, Port Salerno: “With a menu that changes regularly, going to District is always an adventure,” Reilly said. “It’s my absolute favorite restaurant and the first place I think of when I need somewhere to celebrate a birthday or milestone. I imagine Fable, Jack and Poppy’s restaurant, as having that same spirit and flair for experimentation.”
- Hudson’s on the River, Stuart: “When I think of a classic coastal Florida restaurant, this comes to mind immediately,” she said. “Delicious seafood, a fun, bright atmosphere and excellent drinks. No meal there is complete without their deconstructed coconut cream pie.”
- Sailor’s Return, Stuart: “The restaurant that provided so much inspiration for ‘Yes, Chef,’ ” she said. “The location in Sunset Bay Marina in downtown Stuart is beautiful and the food is classic. It’s right by Gilbert’s Coffee Bar, my favorite coffee shop.”
- Fantini’s Italian Restaurant, Stuart: “As a former New Yorker, I have lots of opinions about pizza. Fantini’s is actually New Haven-style, but hands down the best slice I’ve gotten so far on the Treasure Coast,” she said. “Pizza Fridays are an institution for my family. I adore their A La Vodka pizza, as well as a classic sausage and black olive combo.”
- The Gafford, Stuart: “An absolute gem in downtown Stuart,” she said. “It brings classic Southern vibes with South Floridian flair. Their specials are always unique and delicious and the atmosphere is lovely.”
Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.
LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — A Lake Worth Beach jewelry store owner is seeking justice after detectives say a trusted employee stole $150K in merchandise and later left the country.
Officers with the Boynton Beach Police Department say 46-year-old Zabrina Herrera Acosta, who was arrested on Friday, managed to pawn at least 126 jewelry items between February and November of 2025, netting nearly $87,000.
The victim told deputies she hired Herrera Acosta in February 2025 at YR Jewelry on South Military Trail.
Because the owner was attending to a family matter, she was unable to be at the store as often as usual and trusted Herrera Acosta to handle the store’s inventory.
Investigators say that trust was deeply abused when Herrera Acosta intentionally stole items while hiding in a known surveillance blind spot.
See also: World Cup fans gather outside Palm Beach resort amid Ronaldo rumors
The owner did not report the thefts immediately because she confronted Herrera Acosta, who begged for time to pay her back.
However, after learning that her former employee had left the country for Panama, the owner realized she was never going to see her money or gold again.
When Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detectives stepped in, they uncovered a massive paper trail consisting of 58 separate pawn tickets stretching from Palm Beach to Broward County.
Pawn shop employees told detectives that Herrera Acosta presented herself as a business owner who sold jewelry for a living. For every transaction, she provided her Panama passport, signed a declaration stating she legally owned the jewelry, and left a fingerprint.
By the time detectives tracked down the shops, only 13 of the 126 items remained in stores, nine of which the owner positively identified as her stolen property.
The store owner later provided detectives with a video recording of their final phone conversation in Spanish, where Herrera Acosta reportedly confessed to the thefts, admitted to selling the jewelry for less than retail value, and promised to pay her back using her grandmother’s gold.
An arrest warrant was signed on January 23, and Herrera Acosta was arrested on Thursday for Organized Scheme to Defraud over $50,000, Grand Theft over $100,000, 29 counts of Dealing in Stolen Property, and 29 counts of False Verification of Ownership to a Pawnbroker.
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