Detectives identify man in a nearly 40-year-old Florida Keys cold case

Cold Case Unsealed · Jul 10, 2026 · 43m

The episode details the successful identification of Alfonso James Spikes, a man whose remains were discovered in the Florida Keys in 1988. For nearly four decades, the case remained a mystery until modern forensic genetic genealogy and the work of private laboratories allowed investigators to finally name the victim. The sources describe the initial grim discovery by children and the specific personal items, such as a custom gold ring, that failed to provide early leads. By tracing the evolution of DNA technology, the narrative explains how inter-agency cooperation eventually provided…