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24 years later, Jacksonville family still looking for justice in murder of 23-year-old man

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville family gathered at the Dinsmore Cemetery Sunday afternoon to honor the life of a young man who disappeared 24 years ago and whose remains were found a year later in Palatka.

Vanissia Wilson’s 23-year-old son, Keith Cauley, disappeared on June 16, 2000. He was last seen alive in Northwest Jacksonville.

The following summer, on Aug. 23, 2001, Cauley’s remains were found in the woods of Putnam County.

RELATED | 22 years later: Family of Jacksonville murder victim still has hope

Twenty-four years later, there have been no arrests in connection to Cauley’s murder.

“Every year we get together like this, trying to bring attention to maybe someone who will feel sorry or just get to someone’s heart and that they come forward and say what happened,” Wilson said.

Vanissia Wilson still looking for answers in her son's murder. (Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.)

Wilson said her son, who would now be 47 years old, was a happy young man.

“He loved his friends. He loved his animals. He loved his family,” Wilson said. “If you looked into his eyes, you could just see his soul.”

April Knight, Cauley’s cousin, also highlighted Cauley’s personality.

“He was a good guy. He was sweet. He always helped everybody else,” she said.

Cauley’s mother said she hasn’t lost hope and wishes police would take a deeper look into the case to finally get the justice and peace that she’s been waiting on for 24 years.

“I would like to see the police department have more resources to go after these people. If we hadn’t done a lot we had done with our family doing it, we would have never found Keith,” Wilson said.

Keith Cauley was last seen alive on June 16, 2000. (Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.)

If you have any information on this case, please contact JSO at 904-630-0500. You can also contact the family at 904-955-9606.


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