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Cold case spotlights 9-year-old slaying

Published on April 17, 2023 at 12:31 pm

Jessica Beth Wolford would have been 34 had she survived whatever befell her early one Sunday morning in 2014, according to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office records.

But nine years after her remains were found, police still have no leads in her homicide.

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As part of the Sheriff’s Office’s new monthly “Cold Case Spotlight,” its homicide investigators are asking again for the public’s help in passing on anything that may lead to identifying who killed Wolford, and bring some closure to those affected by her death, police said.

Wolford was 25 when her body was found early Sept. 14 in an open area next to a church in the 3500 block of Chase Avenue near the Moncrief Park community, police said. An autopsy determined her cause of death as a gunshot wound, police said.

Homicide and Crime Scene detectives learned that neighbors had heard gunfire about 5 a.m. that day and saw a man believed to be in his 40’s wearing a dirty white T-shirt and blue jeans running away. So far, detectives have not identified that man and have no other clues as to who may have shot and killed the woman.

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Anyone with information related to Wolford’s death is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at (904) 630-0500 or via email at JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a possible reward, call First Coast Crime Stoppers at (866) 845-8477 (TIPS).


author image Reporter, WJCT News 89.9 Dan Scanlan is a veteran journalist with almost 40 years of experience in radio, television, and print reporting. He has worked at various stations in the Northeast and Jacksonville. Prior to joining the WJCT News team, Dan spent 34 years at The Florida Times-Union as a police and current affairs reporter.
author image Reporter, WJCT News 89.9 Dan Scanlan is a veteran journalist with almost 40 years of experience in radio, television, and print reporting. He has worked at various stations in the Northeast and Jacksonville. Prior to joining the WJCT News team, Dan spent 34 years at The Florida Times-Union as a police and current affairs reporter.