Hernando County cold case investigators seeking information about 1981 double homicide
BROOKSVILLE, Fla. - It’s been 44 years since two people were killed in Brooksville and Hernando County investigators are still looking for answers.
Hernando County double homicide
What we know:
On May 9, 1981, deputies said Ricky Merrill and Dori Colyer were last seen leaving the Hilltop Lounge on Broad Street in Brooksville.
The pair told friends they would return to the lounge shortly, but they never went back.
A short while later, at 2:30 a.m., the fire department was dispatched to a possible "brush fire" in the 300 block of Stafford Avenue in Brooksville, which is about one mile from the Hilltop Lounge.
Upon arrival, firefighters discovered a vehicle on fire.
Two bodies, later identified as Merrill and Coyler, were found inside the vehicle.
Who killed Ricky Merrill and Dori Colyer?
What they're saying:
In 2019, FOX 13 spoke with Merrill’s sister, Kellie Davidson.
"It’s sad, it’s sad," Davidson said. "They deserved to have a nice life, they deserved to enjoy what we’ve been able to enjoy, and what I’ve been able to enjoy, they deserved that, but they didn’t get that."
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She said she learned more about Rick’s final hours from news articles than she did from investigators.
Pictured: Ricky Merrill. Courtesy: Hernando County Sheriff's Office
"What I know from the paper is they were injected with something, thus the car was doused with gasoline and lit on fire," she said.
"Rick’s vehicle was pulled in about 200 feet, I believe, face forward," Davidson added. "So, it was as if he actually drove in there."
The bodies of Ricky Merrill and Dori Colyer were found inside a burned car after they left the Hilltop Lounge on May 9, 1981 and never returned.
In 2018, Davidson launched a website dedicated to finding answers.
"Tried to look at every opportunity that we could to put it back out there again, and to rattle the cage, to shake the tree," said Davidson. "Come on, somebody’s got to know something."
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Cold case: 40 years after Hernando County double murder, killers still walk free
FOX 13 also spoke with Colyer’s sister, Diane Woedl, in the past.
She said her sister is forever 20 years old, a young woman robbed of her future and from her family.
Pictured: Dori Colyer. Courtesy: Hernando County Sheriff's Office
"She’s been dead longer than she was alive," Woedl explained. "She was a young girl, he was a young guy. They had their whole lives in front of them. It needs to be solved."
"I just want to know why, what happened? Why were they killed in such a vicious way," said Woedl. "She didn’t deserve it, she wasn’t a bad person."
"It was a very small town, people had to know. Somebody knows something and they need to finally come forward," she added.
‘Absolutely barbaric’
Dig deeper:
"Two friends that ended up being burned alive basically in a car, absolutely barbaric," Hernando County Sheriff’s Detective George Loydgren told FOX 13 during a 2021 interview.
The department’s only cold case detective inherited this double murder from the Brooksville Police Department when it was disbanded in 2018. That fresh look at the details helped find new witnesses to question.
The pair were found dead after leaving the Hilltop Lounge in Brooksville. Courtesy: Hernando County Sheriff's Office
"I have interviewed a few people already, who haven’t been spoken to, in the hopes of finding that little bit of extra verbal evidence we need, testimonial evidence to go forward in the investigation," Loydgren said.
Suspects that were developed more than 40 years ago are still on Loydgren’s radar, but the case is cold.
Cold case tips
What you can do:
Anyone with any information on the double homicide is asked to contact Detective Loydgren at 352-754-6830.
Tipsters who want to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward can also call Hernando County Crime Stoppers at 1-866-990-TIPS (8477) or **TIPS from a cellphone.
Tips can also be submitted via the internet at http://www.hernandocountycrimestoppers.com.
The Source: This story was written with information posted by the Hernando County Sheriff's Office and previous FOX 13 News reports.
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