The skeletal remains found on a beach in St. Augustine, Florida almost four decades ago have finally been identified as those of a mother-of-two who went missing in the late 1960s.
Mary Alice Pultz, a resident of Rockville, Maryland, was 25 years old in 1968 when she departed with John Thomas Fugitt, severing ties with her family, as reported by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. This marked the final occasion her family laid eyes on her.
The sheriff’s office made an announcement last week, confirming the positive identification of Pultz’s remains. These remains were discovered in 1985 by construction workers on Crescent Beach, Florida, in a shallow grave.
The circumstances surrounding Pultz’s death are still unclear, but authorities are treating it as a homicide. Detectives have identified Fugitt as a person of interest in the investigation.
Fugitt, also known as Billy Joe Wallace, was found guilty of the 1981 murder of his male roommate in Georgia. Although he was sentenced to death, he passed away in prison before the execution could take place, as reported by the sheriff’s office.
St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick expressed unwavering determination in the face of a long-standing mystery. He emphasized the tenacity of his team of skilled detectives and the significant role played by advanced DNA technology in unraveling the disappearance of Mary Alice nearly four decades ago. This investigation serves as a testament to their commitment to finding answers for Mary Alice’s family.
However, as time passed, the investigation into the case lost momentum and the victim’s identity remained a mystery.
Despite generating a few leads, the image failed to provide any clear answers.
In 2023, detectives from the sheriff’s office collaborated with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate the case. To further their efforts, the remains were sent to a private lab in Texas. In this lab, DNA was extracted and a DNA profile was created.
Pultz’s living relatives, including her son Norman Jenkins of Yuma, Arizona, and her sister Patricia Allamong of Winchester, Virginia, have willingly provided DNA samples to be matched against the profile.
Detectives received confirmation of a match in January 2024, positively identifying the victim as Pultz.
During their investigation, detectives interviewed the family members and gathered information that pointed to the fact that the burr holes were most likely made after she disappeared from their lives in 1968.
According to the release, Dr. Sneed stated that these injuries, along with the surgical burr holes, suggest a significant trauma that would have necessitated hospitalization, such as being in a vehicle accident or being hit by a vehicle.
There is no information available about whether Pultz had relocated to Florida with Fugitt. No addresses or employment records have been found from the time she left Maryland in 1968 until her remains were discovered in 1985.
Detectives acknowledge that Fugitt is a person of interest in the death investigation; however, they emphasize that they are considering other possibilities as well and not ruling anything out.
The detectives expressed their hope that the information gathered thus far will lead to a breakthrough that brings closure to the family, despite the considerable amount of time that has passed.
Norman Jenkins, the son of Pultz, expressed his longing to gain any information about his mother’s whereabouts or any individuals who may have crossed paths with her. Even though he was quite young when she departed, his curiosity remains strong, and he hopes to find some traces of her presence in the memories of others.
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