Woman identified in 1980 cold case death was victim of Florida serial killer

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. (TCN) -- Investigators recently identified a homicide victim found nearly 43 years ago and believe she died at the hands of an infamous serial killer.

According to an Oct. 17 news release from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, on Nov. 5, 1980, a road crew found a female body off a freeway. Despite investigators’ efforts at the time, the case went cold and the victim became a Jane Doe.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said beginning in 2023, his team submitted samples from the case to genetic genealogy company FHD Forensics and obtained funding through the nonprofit Genealogy for Justice. As a result, investigators identified Jane Doe as Pamela Wittman, who was born in Indiana in 1954. Detectives reportedly contacted family members for information on Wittman’s whereabouts in 1980.

According to the sheriff’s office, officials collected familial DNA to confirm Wittman’s identity. They reportedly reexamined evidence, obtained new information, and determined serial killer Gerald Stano likely killed Wittman in February 1980.

Stano confessed to killing several women in the Daytona Beach around the same time Wittman’s remains were found and "claimed responsibility for the homicide." He was convicted in the murders of multiple women, but Wittman’s death remained unsolved at the time. Chitwood said Stano was executed in Florida state prison in 1998 after receiving eight life sentences and three death sentences.

Investigators believe Stano killed dozens more women and girls in multiple states, including Florida, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

The sheriff’s office said a memorial marker has been place where Wittman’s body was found and reads, "She had the voice of an angel." Wittman’s sister reportedly traveled to Florida and has custody of the victim’s remains.

In a statement, Chitwood said, "After all these years, finally this family can answer the question of what happened to their loved one. While this isn’t the news any family hopes to hear, I’m grateful for everyone who worked so hard to make sure we found the truth and gave Pamela a proper memorial."