Break in a 26 year old cold case of a Jacksonville mother
It’s a sign of hope for Mildred Harris’ children. Detectives with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office got a hit on DNA that could lead them to a potential suspect.
Harris was 41 at the time of her death. She left behind three children, one of whom has passed away. Her son couldn’t speak on Thursday, but the detective on the case said this is still very difficult for the family.
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“She was just a loving mom, having a night of fun that resulted in her death,” Sergeant Travis Oliver Sr. said. “[It] has had a very strong impact on her children, even today. They’re very still emotional.”
Harris was found dead on the side of Warrington Street in the Lackawanna neighborhood on October 15, 1996. The cause of death was blunt force trauma.
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“We feel that it could have happened in a vehicle, or something, in that location,” Sergeant Oliver said. “She was dumped in that area, where she was killed.”
Neighbors said the neighborhood wasn’t developed until 1997, and it was mostly vacant prior. Now, 26 years later, detectives have a break in the case.
“Some of the evidence from the scene has now come back with a CODIS hit as identified a possible suspect,” Sergeant Oliver said.
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A CODIS hit can be made by a DNA profile from evidence in an unsolved case that matches the DNA of a convicted felon or someone arrested. A match can also be made between evidence in two unsolved cases or in a previously solved case.
“It came back with a hit that someone that was—it’s a local here,” Sergeant Oliver said. “That person’s past history would fit the settings of this particular crime.”
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A police report obtained by Action News Jax said the original investigation revealed the victim [Harris] had been murdered. It listed the circumstance as “sex-related.” While detectives aren’t naming the suspect, we’re told this person had a history of battery on women.
If you know anything about this case, contact JSO at 904-630-0500 or email at JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. You can remain anonymous and receive a possible cash reward by calling Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS or text **8477
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