Woman found dead in Florida 45 years ago was killed by husband who dumped son’s body in lake: BCSO

FOUNTAIN, Fla. - Deputies in Bay County say they now know the identity of a woman whose body was found in a shallow grave in 1980 and who likely killed her. 

The backstory:

According to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, three hunters found the remains of a woman in a shallow grave in 1980 about half a mile west of Highway 231, north of Fountain. 

Initially, investigators thought the remains may have been JoAnn Benner, who was reported missing in 1976. Her body had not been found, and foul play was suspected. 

The remains were sent to the FSU Anthropology lab and examined. 

Investigators said Benner was ruled out because she had injuries that these remains did not have.

Foul play was suspected because of the damage done to the clothing found with the skeletal remains. 

While reviewing the Benner case and reading about the mysterious skeletal remains, cold case investigators with BCSO, which includes retired investigators and active employees, teamed with the Crime Scene Unit to use technology unknown in 1980 to identify the mystery woman.

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Investigators submitted a tooth from the remains to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for a DNA profile. This profile was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). 

Investigators said they got two matches. They explained that two people in Texas had previously submitted DNA because they had a sister that had been reported missing. 

BCSO said once there was a match identified, the Center for Human Identification conducted a kinship analysis to determine if the remains were those of a family member to the two siblings and issued a final report. It stated that the remains belonged to their sister Carol Sue Skidmore, who disappeared in 1977. 

Timeline:

According to BCSO, Carol Skidmore, her husband, James Ronald Skidmore, and her 5-year-old son, Lynn Dale Mahaffy, left their home in Sealy, Texas, to visit James’ parents in Rossville, Georgia in March 1977. They wanted to "put their marriage back together". 

Investigators said they left on March 29, 1977, and were last heard of on April 9, 1977, when Carol Skidmore contacted her parents and told them she wasn’t sure when they would be back.

In May 1977, a child’s body was found in Parksville Lake in Tennessee. Investigators said the boy was a victim of homicide. The body, wrapped in plastic and weighed down, appeared to have been in place for a few weeks. 

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In June 1977, the FBI confirmed that the body was of Carol Skidmore’s son, Lynn Dale Mahaffy. 

On June 1, 1977, Carol Skidmore’s husband, James, was found dead in a hotel room in Harrison, Arkansas due to a drug overdose/suicide. Investigators said a suicide note was found with his body stating, "things weren’t working out for him." 

Courtesy: Bay County Sheriff's Office

Authorities searched for his wife, Carol Skidmore, with no success. She was listed as missing.

Investigators believe that James Ronald Skidmore killed Carol Skidmore, burying her body in a shallow grave in Bay County, and her son, Lynn, leaving his body in a lake in Tennessee, and then himself.

Investigators contacted Carol Skidmore's family and though one of her siblings had passed away, they said her brother was grateful to get word about his sister, to finally know what happened to her and have closure.

What they're saying:

"We will never stop seeking justice for victims of crime, no matter how much time may have passed," said Sheriff Tommy Ford. "I am so proud of our Cold Case and Crime Scene Units for their determination to find the truth and bring closure to this family."

What's next:

The BCSO Cold Case Unit and Crime Scene Unit are currently using ancestral DNA to identify several sets of human remains found in Bay County. 

The JoAnn Benner case has progressed and has been turned over to the State Attorney’s Office by the Cold Case Unit for review and potential prosecution.