POMPANO BEACH, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — A decades-old homicide case tied to Lauderhill has a new development, and BSO is asking the public to help finish the job.
BSO’s Cold Case Unit says it has identified a young man whose body was found on a dirt road in 1975, after two people riding ATVs through an open field made the discovery. The body was located about four miles west of the 4400 block of North University Drive in Lauderhill, a city that was once patrolled by the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators at the time said the victim was partially clothed, had no identification, and there was no other immediate way to determine who he was. Detectives also reported a lack of physical evidence at the scene, which suggested the young man was brought to that location after he was murdered.
The case went cold for years, despite investigators canvassing the area, checking missing person reports, and pursuing leads.
Now, BSO says the victim has been identified as Robert Freese.
BSO Cold Case Homicide Detective John Curcio, who was recently assigned to the unit, has spent the past several months working to identify the victim and push the investigation forward. Curcio said he turned to modern technology to try to find a fingerprint match, even though the case had no witnesses and no DNA.
BSO said Curcio’s work led to a match with help from BSO’s Crime Lab Latent Print Unit. That match provided the victim’s name and additional details, including a physical description, where he was born, where he last lived, and a misdemeanor arrest in Pompano Beach a few months before his death.
BSO described Freese as a white male, 6 feet tall, weighing 170 to 175 pounds, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was born in Nassau County, New York, in 1957. At the time of his death, BSO said he lived near the 700 block of Northwest Sixth Street in Pompano Beach.
Even with the identification, BSO says Freese’s life and death remain largely unknown.
Curcio has been trying to locate Freese’s birth certificate and find his family. BSO said Curcio submitted a subpoena to Nassau County, but there was not enough information to track down Freese’s birth records.
With that avenue stalled, BSO is now turning to the public.
BSO is urging anyone who may have known Robert Freese or his family to contact Det. Curcio at 954-321-4212. Tips can also be submitted through the SaferWatch app.
People who want to remain anonymous can contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477), submit information online at browardcrimestoppers.org, or dial **TIPS (8477) from any cellphone in the United States.
For residents in Boca Raton and across Palm Beach County, the case is a reminder that many older investigations in South Florida still rely on the public to fill in missing pieces. BSO is looking for anyone who recognizes the name, remembers the Pompano Beach address area, or has information that could connect Freese to relatives or associates.
Authority for the investigation sits with BSO’s Cold Case Unit. What happens next depends on tips that can help locate family members, confirm background details, and develop leads about who killed Freese and why.
BSO says even small details could help bring justice for Freese and his family.
