Authorities in Florida investigating a cold case dating back 20 years have uncovered what they suspect to be the remains of Autumn Lane McClure, a 16-year-old girl who disappeared in 2004.
During a news conference on Thursday, Volusia Sheriff Michael J. Chitwood stated that detectives recovered 99.9% of the remains during Wednesday's excavation of the burial site. The sheriff's office anticipates official identification soon and aims to determine the cause of death for the teenager.
"There really never is a 'cold case,'" Chitwood said. "The men and women that are assigned to our Major Case Unit and all of our investigative units, that's what they understand."
According to the sheriff, detectives from the Sheriff's office obtained search warrants, relocated a recently constructed modular home and driveway, and utilized heavy equipment in their search for McClure.
Detectives from the Volusia Sheriff's Office stated that they have been investigating McClure's disappearance since she vanished in May 2004. The investigation, spanning several years, involved interviewing and re-interviewing friends and potential witnesses, as well as gathering DNA samples from family members.
The sequence of events began on May 10, 2004, with a phone call from McClure's grandmother to the sheriff's office reporting her disappearance. Detectives subsequently interviewed her then-boyfriend, who informed them that he had last dropped off McClure at the Volusia Mall and had not heard from her since.
Several days later, the grandmother contacted the sheriff's office once more and informed detectives that "Autumn has called me from a 312-area code." Additionally, she mentioned receiving letters from McClure with postmarks from Melbourne, Florida, according to the sheriff.
After a period of quiet, the case regained attention when evidence emerged suggesting McClure had been staying at a residence with two individuals named Brian Donley and Jessica Freeman, both of whom claimed to be coworkers of McClure's at a Winn-Dixie supermarket, according to the sheriff. Detectives visited the couple's home, where they stated that McClure had stayed with them briefly before departing, the sheriff reported.
The case remained cold until twelve years later when detectives re-engaged with the boyfriend, who confessed to investigators that he had provided false information during his initial interview. He admitted that he had actually dropped off McClure at the Seabreeze Bridge, not the mall, where she subsequently entered a car with Freeman.
In 2018, detectives reached out to Freeman, who was residing in Nevada at the time. She informed them that she had no knowledge of what happened to McClure.
Then, in 2021, detectives received information from an individual named Chris Miller, alleging that Freeman and Donley were involved in McClure's disappearance. Donley passed away the following year on May 26, 2022, nearly 18 years after investigators believe McClure was killed, according to the sheriff.
During that same year, Freeman reestablished contact with the sheriff's office and requested immunity in exchange for providing information about McClure's disappearance.
She disclosed to detectives that McClure opted not to live with her grandmother, leading Freeman and Donley to allow McClure to reside with them. Freeman also asserted that McClure was engaged in a sexual relationship with both her and Donley. Freeman claimed to have witnessed Donley strangling McClure, but she was threatened with harm if she revealed anything about the incident.
The case got its final break in 2023 when Freeman informed detectives that McClure was buried in the Ormond Beach area, ultimately leading to the discovery made on Wednesday, as stated by the sheriff.
