Case Details

Photo URLs:

This person was missing Missing Since 04/28/1977

Missing Since:

Missing Since 04/28/1977

Missing From:

Missing From Cocoa Beach, Florida

Classification:

Classification Endangered Missing

Gender:

Male

Race:

Race White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 09/18/1963 (61)

Age:

Age 13 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 5’0, 90 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Clothing/Jewelry Description A t-shirt, jeans, thong sandals and a gold chain with an Italian horn.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Blond hair, brown eyes. Keith’s left leg was previously fractured. He wore a partial upper front plate at the time of his 1977 disappearance, because his two front teeth had been lost in an accident. He has full lips. Keith’s hair had been trimmed prior to his disappearance and was shorter than in the photographs shown above.

Details of Disappearance:

In April 1977, 16-year-old Keith disappeared in Cocoa Beach, Florida. He was last seen hitchhiking home from his girlfriend’s house. His girlfriend’s mom tried to pick him up, but he was gone.

The main suspect is John Rodney McRae, a man with a history of violence against young boys. McRae had been convicted of murdering an 8-year-old and later, a 14-year-old. He also worked as a guard at a Florida juvenile correctional facility where two other boys disappeared. McRae admitted to liking to watch young boys at Cocoa Beach, where Keith often surfed.

Police believe McRae is responsible for Keith’s disappearance, along with the other missing boys. Even though they offered McRae immunity in exchange for information, he never confessed. His wife, however, said he admitted to killing two of the other boys. McRae died in prison in 2005.

Keith’s case remains unsolved. Critics say the police investigation was poorly handled, with little follow-up on leads. Keith’s family is still searching for him.

Agency:

Cocoa Beach Police Department 305-783-4911

Source Links: