Over three years after the tragic death of Rex Honors IV, a breakthrough in the case was announced by the Lakeland Police Department. The cold case, which saw the 14-year-old found deceased in his backyard in 2018, had been revisited with the advent of advanced technological methods and further interviews, leading to a significant development. According to TampaBay28, the initial discovery of the body came after a report of a suspicious incident by Rex Honors III, then 21, who reported his younger brother missing from their West Crawford Street home.
Details surrounding the incident, as provided by FOX 13 News, described a disturbing scene where officers found a broken table and an opened sliding glass door leading to the backyard where the teenager was found dead. Despite the initial efforts, the case went cold only to be reopened recently by the Lakeland Police Department's cold case investigators.
At a scheduled update, set to be given at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the Lakeland Police Department intended to provide new information on the arrest and the advancements that helped crack the case. This announcement was preempted, as detailed by WFLA, by cold case investigators asserting that solving the case became possible with the help of new technology and conducting additional interviews. The identity of the suspect or the specific charges have not been publicly disclosed at the time of reporting.
