MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – Investigators have finally put a name to a face in a mystery that has haunted the Florida Keys since the late 1980s.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, alongside the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the local Medical Examiner, announced this week that human remains discovered in 1988 belong to Alfonso James Spikes.
The case began on May 4, 1988, when a body was discovered discarded off County Road 905 in North Key Largo. At the time, the victim—an unidentified Black man—was found wrapped in three sheets and buried under a pile of trash.
Detectives noted his shirt had been pulled forward over his head, and due to the body’s advanced state of decomposition, a definitive cause of death proved elusive. The Medical Examiner eventually ruled the case as an undetermined death, though it was noted as a probable homicide.
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For decades, the trail was cold. Mr. Spikes, who was 61 at the time of his disappearance, was a resident of Miami. Records indicate he was last seen in April 1988, shortly after leaving his home to meet an unnamed individual.
How he traveled from Miami to the remote stretch of road in Monroe County remains a mystery that detectives are still trying to solve.
The breakthrough came through a modern scientific “Hail Mary.” After a standard lab analysis in late 2023 yielded no new leads, investigators turned to advanced DNA sequencing and genetic genealogy in June 2025. By March 2026, the scientific data provided a definitive match, confirming the remains were those of Spikes.
“I want to thank the hard work by the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office, the FDLE, and the Medical Examiner Office for providing closure to the friends and family of Mr. Spikes,” Sheriff Rick Ramsay stated following the identification. “Even when cases go cold, we remain committed to providing justice and solace to those affected.”
READ: DNA Detectives: Florida Launches Massive Statewide Hunt To Crack 21,000 Cold Cases
While the identification provides an answer for the Spikes family, the criminal investigation is far from over. Authorities still do not know the identity of the person Spikes went to meet before he vanished.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is keeping the case open and is urging anyone with information regarding Alfonso James Spikes or his final days in 1988 to contact Major Crimes Detectives at 305-289-2410.
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