Polk County Sheriff’s Phone# 863-298-6200
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Cold Case Homicides
From June 2008 until June 2019, the Polk County Sheriff's Office Homicide Unit maintained a 100% clearance rate on all homicides investigated within the PCSO jurisdiction.
The two most recent unsolved homicides - those of Shay Collins in June 2019 and Alphonsa Payne in May 2020 - are listed here along with all other unsolved homicides back to 1961.
Our Cold Case Unit is dedicated to solving these homicides and bringing justice to these victims' families.
Can you help? Click the links below to view information about unsolved Polk County Homicides. Photos are included if available. If you have any information concerning an unsolved homicide, please contact the Bureau of Criminal Investigations at 863-298-6379 or send an email to coldcase@polksheriff.org.
Or to remain anonymous and be eligible for a CASH REWARD contact Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS (8477). Anonymity is guaranteed!
Valorie Lowman
Discovery Date: Oct 10, 1973
On October 10, 1973, 27-year-old Valorie Lowman’s skeletal remains were discovered in a pit near an orange grove 1/4 mile east of Lake Hendry on Garfield Road near Homeland. She had been bound, strangled, and thrown into the pit. Lowman had been missing since August 1973, when her 1973 Chevy Nova was located, out of gas, approximately 10 miles away at the City of Bartow’s baseball field on North Broadway in Bartow.
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit at (863) 298-6379, or send an email to coldcase@polksheriff.org.