ABOUT THE CASE

On Sept. 10, 1997, an unidentified male was found deceased in the Intracoastal Waterway by the old Sea Ray canal. He had been bound, stabbed multiple times, and shot.

The victim had remained unidentified for nearly 26 years until a breakthrough in August 2023 due to advancements in DNA technology, leading detectives to determine his identity as Robert McPhail. It was discovered that Robert, who went by his middle name, Bruce, was from the Kenora/Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada area and moved to South Florida in the mid-1990s.

Once his identity was announced, the Cold Case Unit received a photograph of Robert from the 1980s. The photo was provided by a person who knew Robert during his time living in South Florida.