John Blevins was a man who disappeared from Fort Myers, Florida in 1995. His remains were located as one of the Fort Myers Eight, a group of eight men whose skeletal remains were located in Fort Myers, Florida. He was the first victim to be identified, which occurred in November 2007.
Background[]
John Blevins led a transient lifestyle who lived in the Fort Myers area. He had a criminal record for minor offenses such as loitering, possession of drug paraphernalia and solicitation for prostitution. A 1988 arrest report lists Blevins' occupation as a salesman and his address as the Blue Lantern Motel in Fort Myers. He was last seen in 1995, but was never reported missing. According to his mother, he mentioned plans to "go out" and to return shortly afterward.
Case[]
On March 23, 2007, a land surveyor discovered two human skulls in a wooded area near Rockfill and Arcadia Streets. The Fort Myers Police Department, with the assistance of area agencies, cadaver dogs, and forensic experts, recovered eight sets of skeletal remains. They found no clothing nor remnants of coffins, body bags, or anything else that might be used to hold human remains. There were no footprints or other signs that anyone had recently been to the scene. A connection to a nearby defunct funeral home was considered, but it was ruled out.
John is the first victim of the Fort Myers 8 to have been identified. As of 2022, only three others have been identified. The medical examiner has ruled the deaths to be homicides but no one has been arrested or convicted. The prime suspect is suspected serial killer Daniel Conahan who is presumed to have committed the Hog Trail Killings in Florida between 1993 and 1996. He is now incarcerated and sentenced to death for the murder of one of the victims, Richard Montgomery.
Conahan's victims and the identified Fort Myers 8 victims share similarities; they were male transients who disappeared between 1993 and 1996 in Charlotte County or Sarasota County, Florida. Additionally, a surviving victim, Stanley Burden, was attacked by Conahan a mile from the site the Fort Myers 8 were discovered.
Gallery[]
Sources[]
- Wink News
- CNN
- Daniel Conahan on Wikipedia