After nearly four decades of questions and guesswork, Monroe County detectives say they have finally put a name to human remains found in North Key Largo in 1988. The identification brings long-awaited answers to one Miami family and puts fresh heat on an open homicide investigation that never really went away.
Discovery and medical examiner finding
According to the Monroe County Sheriffs Office Major Crimes Unit, working with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Monroe County Medical Examiners Office, the remains belonged to a previously unidentified Black man recovered on May 4, 1988, off County Road 905 in north Key Largo. Deputies reported that the body was discovered covered in trash, wrapped in several bedsheets, with a shirt pulled over the head. The medical examiner described the remains as being in "advanced decomposition with partial skeletonization" and ruled the cause and manner of death undetermined but a "probable homicide," according to Local 10.
DNA, genealogy and modern cold-case work
Detectives say the breakthrough stems from renewed efforts to re-test old evidence using modern forensic tools. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has recently turned to advanced genetic genealogy and DNA sequencing to put names to unidentified remains in the Keys and around Florida, a strategy that has started to pay off in several long-stalled cases, per FDLE.
What we know about the case
Investigators confirmed the remains are those of Alfonso James Spikes, 61, of Miami, and said DNA samples submitted in 2023 and 2025 produced a match in March 2026 that led to his identification. Deputies stated that Spikes was last seen in April 1988 in Miami, after leaving his home to meet someone. Officials say they still do not know who that person was or how Spikes ended up in the Keys, according to Local 10.
How to help investigators
Monroe County detectives say the case remains very much active and are asking anyone with information to contact the Major Crimes Unit at (305) 289-2410. The State of Floridas victim-services directory lists that number and the units Marathon address for tips and victim assistance, per My Florida Legal.
