Joan Mae Rogers, 36, and her daughters Michelle, 17, and Christe, 14, were killed while on a Florida vacation that began as their first trip outside Ohio. The family accepted an offer for a sunset boat cruise from a man who approached them; days later, on June 4, 1989, their bodies were found floating in Tampa Bay partially unclothed, bound, and tied to concrete blocks. Autopsies showed water in the lungs of the victims, indicating they were alive when thrown into the water.

Investigators located the family’s abandoned vehicle and recovered handwritten notes with directions; one sample of handwriting did not belong to Joan. That handwriting was publicized on billboards and ultimately helped identify Oba Chandler, an aluminum siding contractor, as the man who had approached the family. Chandler was arrested, later convicted of the murders, and sentenced to death.