On the morning of Friday, March 31, 1978, 32-year-old active duty U.S. Navy serviceman Frank Carl Pepper was found dead in his Virginia Beach home in the 3700 block of South Plaza Trail. Family members had seen him alive only a few hours earlier. He was discovered with fatal wounds; an autopsy at the Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the death was a homicide.

Frank Carl Pepper was described as a tall, thin Black male, 6 feet 4 inches and 171 pounds, with brown eyes, black hair and a full beard. The Virginia Beach Police were called to the scene and the case remains open with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit. No suspects or arrests have been announced, and the specific circumstances of the wounds have not been detailed.

Anyone with information about the night of March 30–31, 1978, or who knew Mr. Pepper, is asked to contact the Virginia Beach Police.