April 15, 2019 | By Zachary Sampley This story is part of a collaborative project between Project: Cold Case and a University of North Florida Journalism class. ****UPDATE**** On April 2, 2024, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office 4th Judicial Circuit announced an arrest in the 1996 Valerie Ames case. Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters announced that Jerry Philips, 69, was arrested in North Carolina and is facing charges in Ames’ killing. Waters credited the JSO Cold Case Unit detectives for their investigative efforts, as well as Project: Cold Case, for their advocacy work with Ames’ family. *Project: Cold Case now blurs the image of those arrested in these investigations as a way to keep the focus on the victim. Original Spotlight Article below.. It’s August 10, 1996 – a Saturday afternoon. A woman enters her father’s apartment. He’s in jail, and she wants to check on things and make sure all doors are locked. She opens an unlocked door, and sees an unfamiliar woman lying... Read More