November 1, 2015
On June 25, 2013, around 11:00pm, residents in the Englewood area of Jacksonville, Florida began calling 911 to report a house fire on Mimosa Drive.
Inside the charred home investigators found the body of 83-year-old Robert James (Bob) Levey.
Detectives have not released the cause of death but described Bob’s death as a “brutal murder”. The fire was intentionally set to destroy evidence and cover up the murder.
Detectives are looking to speak with an individual seen around Bob’s house just before the fire was reported. The individual is described as a white male in his late teens or early twenties, 5′-6″ to 5′-7″ tall, 120 lbs, with shoulder length brown hair. He was seen wearing a green shirt, shorts and a black and white backpack.
The suspect may have been injured at the time of the incident and left the scene on foot.
According to investigators interviewed by First Coast News, “The residents of that neighborhood saw someone at the house with a can of gasoline and they were running, or walking quickly, away from the scene initially,” Det. Ray Reeves with the Cold Case Unit at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.
Det. Reeves said residents ran after the suspect, one person even jumped into a truck to chase him, but then the suspect threatened them.
“At one point that suspect said he had a firearm, a gun, and the neighbors stopped pursuing him and waited for the police to get there and they gave the description to police officers,” Det. Reeves explained.
Bob Levey, who retired after working for 37 years at WFGA/WTLV Channel 12 in Jacksonville, was often seen collecting discarded items for scrap and visiting flea markets where he enjoyed socializing and collecting.
Bob’s son, daughter, and former wife speak about how much he is missed and continue to seek justice and answers.
In 2021, Bob’s family released the following statement, which still holds true.
“This June 25th will be the 8th anniversary of the murder of Bob Levey. He is dearly missed by his family and friends. We remain grateful for our caring community, the JSO and their efforts to solve this case, the ongoing care and helpfulness of Project: Cold Case and our local television stations for presenting this information. We are hopeful that someone will come forward with information that will help solve this case.”
It has been 10 years now and his family continues to struggle with this senseless tragedy and hopes that someone with information will finally come forward.
If you have any information, no matter how small you think it is, about Bob Levey’s murder, please call the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit at (904) 255-2626. To remain anonymous, and possibly be eligible for a reward, call Crime Stoppers at (866) 845-TIPS.
