Annie Mae Ernest (pictured here) was murdered by Robert Richard Van Pelt, authorities said. Van Pelt later died by suicide. (Image: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office)
Investigators in Jacksonville, Florida, said they solved a cold-case murder by finally tracking down the now-dead “person of interest” who skipped a lie-detector test, abandoned his apartment, and obscured his real identity with the use of aliases.
Authorities responded to an open area in the 1100 block of Market Street on Sept. 9, 1985. Annie Mae Ernest, 38, had been found murdered.
Homicide investigators found a person of interest named “Robert Vance.” He was thought to be one of the last people to have communicated with Ernest before she was murdered, they wrote.
“Detectives interviewed Vance, who freely admitted to socializing with the victim, but also stated he was not involved in her death,” they wrote. “At the time, Vance agreed to take a polygraph examination, however, he failed to show up at the agreed upon time the following day. Upon their attempts to locate Vance, detectives found his apartment abandoned and continued efforts were fruitless in locating him.”
Investigators determined “Robert Vance” was an alias for Robert Richard Van Pelt, but they could not find him, they said.
It was in 2008 that cold case detectives took another look at Ernest’s case and searched for Van Pelt.
“Efforts to locate the potential suspect were futile and the case continued in a Cold Case status,” they wrote.
In July 2023, one of Ernest’s relatives contacted cold case detectives seeking an update.
“Using modern technology and databases, along with current investigative techniques, detectives were able to determine Van Pelt had fled to Tampa immediately following the murder of Annie Mae, assuming a second alias, ‘John Leroy Harris,’” they wrote. “Research into Harris revealed an incident report written by the Tampa Police Department in 1988. The report indicated he had been involved in the shooting of a female victim in their jurisdiction. That victim survived the shooting, but Harris committed suicide following the incident.”
The sheriff’s office said they consulted with prosecutors. They added, “And that, if Van Pelt were alive today, he would be charged with the murder of Annie Mae Ernest. As such, in December of 2023, the case was Exceptionally Cleared — Death of Offender.”
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