On January 28, 1996, the body of 30-year-old Jessie James Spencer Jr. was found in a ditch at the dead end of Jolliff Road in Chesapeake, Virginia. Spencer, a Black man with no permanent address and last known to have lived on East 29th Street in Norfolk, was discovered nude and face down; his identity was later confirmed by fingerprint analysis.

Investigators noted strong similarities between Spencer’s death and a series of homicides in the Hampton Roads area: victims often found nude in rural Chesapeake locations, frequently strangled, and many leading transient lifestyles. Those patterns prompted formation of a regional Serial Killer Task Force that included local and federal agencies.

A suspect linked to the wider string of killings, known as Elton Manning Jackson, was later arrested and convicted; Spencer was officially identified as one of Jackson’s victims. If anyone knew Spencer, his movements in Norfolk, or saw him in January 1996, please share what you remember.