Jason Pelishek, 30, was found murdered on July 23, 2012, in a Downtown Jacksonville parking lot between a law firm and a PODS storage unit near North Liberty Street. Homeless at the time, he had been beaten severely and showed signs of brutal abuse; detectives also raised the possibility of sexual assault. The initial investigation collected significant evidence but produced no conclusive suspect, and the case went cold.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office later moved the file to its Cold Case Unit and resubmitted evidence for additional analysis. New leads emerged, including a person of interest who may have connections to a similar crime elsewhere in Florida and who was in Jacksonville around the time of the killing, but no arrests have been announced. Jason grew up in Milwaukee, excelled in programming and music, struggled with addiction after an injury, moved to Florida hoping to turn his life around, and had sought shelter at the Sulzbacher Center. His mother, Jessie McKinnon, remembers him as bright and loving and continues to hope for justice.

Anyone with information, even seemingly small details, is asked to come forward to help solve Jason’s murder.