POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Eight years of silence have not stopped state investigators from hunting for the truth behind the disappearance of Brian Edward Klecha. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) announced this week that agents are actively pursuing leads in the cold case of the Lakeland Air Force veteran and Disney employee who vanished in late 2017.
Klecha, who was 35 at the time, was last seen on December 27, 2017, conducting a transaction at a MIDFLORIDA Credit Union in Auburndale. He hasn’t been heard from since.
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The mystery deepened weeks later on February 11, 2018, when Klecha’s Jeep Patriot was discovered abandoned in Tampa on the State Road 618 exit at Morgan Street. Investigators determined the vehicle had been involved in a collision a few days prior to its discovery.
Authorities do not believe Klecha left on his own accord. According to the FDLE, agents suspect he may have been a victim of domestic violence or drug abuse.
“Eight years have passed and we are just as committed as ever to finding out the truth of what happened,” said FDLE Tampa Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell.
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Klecha had ties across Orange, Polk, and Hillsborough counties. Brutnell urged anyone with knowledge of the case to step forward, emphasizing that “even the tiniest shred of information” could be the key to locating him.
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