Sunshine Sentinel

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody today presented a Back the Blue Award to Margate Police Department Detective Julio Fernandez for solving eight cold cases in five years. Detective Fernandez urged supervisors to reopen the cases and worked diligently to solve each one, giving closure to families who waited more than two decades for answers.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Cold cases are often the most difficult to solve, but that fact has not deterred Detective Fernandez from seeking justice in eight cases stretching back decades in some instances. For his diligent efforts and dogged investigative work, I am presenting Detective Fernandez with a Back the Blue Award.”

Detective Fernandez is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a 22-year veteran of law enforcement. The detective’s commitment to service led him to ask supervisors to reopen long-closed cold cases. Many of the cases consisted of missing persons, DNA matching of skeletal remains, gruesome homicides and more.

In one case, Detective Fernandez worked with U.S. Marshals to track down a suspect who fled to Jamaica after committing armed sexual battery, armed kidnapping and armed burglary from 1996 to 1997. Detective Fernandez helped the U.S. Department of Justice extradite the criminal back to the United States.

Two other cold cases involved missing mothers. A 39-year-old mother left to pick up her daughters in 2002 and disappeared. People riding airboats in 2004 reported finding human remains, but it was not until 14 years later that Detective Fernandez used the woman’s relatives for DNA testing to link the bones to the missing mother—solving the case. For more about the cold cases Detective Fernandez solved, click here. 

Attorney General Moody launched the statewide Back the Blue campaign soon after taking office in 2019. The campaign highlights law enforcement officers, citizens and organizations taking extraordinary steps to forge positive relationships between law enforcement and local communities. Since its inception, Attorney General Moody has issued more than 50 Back the Blue Awards.

To nominate a law enforcement officer, citizen or organization for a Back the Blue Award, or for more information about Attorney General Moody’s Back the Blue campaign, click here.

To help officers like Detective Fernandez solve cases, citizens with information about crime can report anonymously by calling **TIPS.

To learn more about **TIPS, click here.

Original source can be found here.