In 1995, a woman was murdered along I-95. A mysterious Florida man may be responsible

Grethel Aguila
·2 min read

In 1995, a Florida woman’s body was dumped in a drainage ditch off Interstate 95 in South Carolina. Police are now asking the public for help in identifying a possible suspect, who also has ties to the Sunshine State.

Police believe that Maria Telles-Gonzalez, who lived in Kissimmee, was murdered in Florida before her body was left in Yemassee, South Carolina, a town more than an hour west of Charleston. They’re also eyeing a man only known as “Carlos” as a possible suspect in the killing.

According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, “Carlos” may have lived in the Orlando area. Investigators suspect he may be responsible for — or at least have information about — the murder of Telles-Gonzalez, a 36-year-old wife and mother of three.

The body of Maria Telles-Gonzalez was discovered in a South Carolina ditch in 1995, but it was only until December 2022 that she was positively identified.
The body of Maria Telles-Gonzalez was discovered in a South Carolina ditch in 1995, but it was only until December 2022 that she was positively identified.

“Carlos,” FLDE says, is between 5’8 and 5’10 and speaks both English and Spanish proficiently.

Telles-Gonzalez, who was never reported missing, was found strangled to death by South Carolina state employees mowing grass nearby, according to the Island Packet, a newspaper owned by McClatchy, the same company that owns the Miami Herald. She was killed at least 36 to 48 hours before her body was found.

She had no wallet. No purse. No ID. All she wore when found was a pair of Leonisa underwear, a brand made in Colombia and sold throughout Latin America. Her identity was shrouded in mystery for close to three decades.

READ MORE: ‘Her family now has answers’: Beaufort County’s ‘Jane Doe’ from 1995 is identified

In 2020, investigators in South Carolina submitted the woman’s DNA to Parabon NanoLabs, a DNA technology company, which ran the sample through ancestry databases, identifying possible distant relatives, the Island Packet reported.

Maria Telles-Gonzalez of Kissimmee, Florida, had been known as the Beaufort County “Jane Doe” for 27 years. Gonzalez, who was 36 at the time of her death, was a wife and mother of three children.
Maria Telles-Gonzalez of Kissimmee, Florida, had been known as the Beaufort County “Jane Doe” for 27 years. Gonzalez, who was 36 at the time of her death, was a wife and mother of three children.

After making a match, investigators then traveled to Florida to interview Telles-Gonzalez’s family. Her children said they last saw their mother in 1995 when they were headed to school.

Telles-Gonzalez had just returned from a trip to Puerto Rico. Police say her husband, whose name hasn’t been released, was at home with her before she vanished.

She was publicly identified as the slain woman in December 2022.

Anyone with information about the murder of Maria Telles-Gonzalez or the identification or whereabouts of “Carlos” should contact Beaufort County cold case investigator Bob Bromage at 843-816-8013.