The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office recently announced the positive identification of skeletal remains discovered on Crescent Beach in 1985 as Mary Alice Pultz, a woman who had been reported missing nearly two decades prior. Born in Rockville, Maryland, Pultz was last seen by her family at the age of 25 after leaving home with her boyfriend at the time, John Thomas Fugitt. Fugitt, who was also known as Billy Joe Wallace, was later convicted of murder in Georgia but died in prison before his execution. Pultz’s cause of death remains unclear, but detectives are treating the case as a homicide and have named Fugitt as a person of interest in the investigation.
The construction workers who initially discovered the remains believed the victim to be a white woman between the ages of 30 and 50, but they were unable to identify her at the time. In 2011, some of the remains were sent to the Florida Institute for Forensic Anthropology and Applied Science at the University of South Florida in hopes of creating a facial reconstruction to generate leads, but no new information emerged. However, in 2023, the sheriff’s office partnered with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and sent the remains to a private lab in Texas. DNA extracted from the remains led genealogists to Pultz’s living relatives, who provided samples to confirm the match.
Medical examiner Dr. Wendolyn Sneed examined Pultz’s remains and noted multiple injuries, including fractures to the nasal bones, ribs, and lower legs, as well as three surgical burr holes in the skull. According to John Hopkins Medicine, burr holes are used to relieve pressure on the skull caused by fluid buildup, often due to conditions such as subdural hematomas from head injuries. Interviews with Pultz’s family suggested that the injuries and surgeries likely occurred after her disappearance in 1968, indicating severe trauma that would have required hospitalization, such as a vehicle collision or being struck by a vehicle.
St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick emphasized the importance of never giving up on cold cases, noting that the combination of skilled detectives and advanced DNA technology had provided answers for Pultz’s family after nearly four decades of uncertainty. The case highlights the dedication of law enforcement agencies to pursue justice and closure for families of missing persons, even many years after the initial disappearance. Though Fugitt, the boyfriend of Pultz at the time of her disappearance, had been convicted of murder in a separate incident, his involvement in Pultz’s case remains to be fully determined.
Ultimately, the positive identification of Mary Alice Pultz’s remains serves as a reminder of the significance of continued efforts in cold case investigations. Advances in technology, such as DNA matching and forensic analysis, have allowed authorities to revisit long-standing cases and provide closure for families who have been waiting for answers for decades. The resolution of this 1968 missing person’s case in St. Augustine, Florida, showcases the importance of persistence and collaboration in solving mysteries that have lingered for years, bringing a sense of resolution to those affected by the loss of a loved one.
