For Immediate Release
October 23, 2024
 
CROSS CITY, Fla. – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) continues to pursue leads in the 1974 homicide of then 24-year-old James Norris and requests the public’s help in cracking the 50-year-old cold case. 
 
James Norris’s murder is believed to be one of the oldest active homicide investigations in Florida and is Dixie County’s oldest homicide case. Just one piece of information may break the case wide open.
 
Investigators believe persons living in Miami, Panama City, Steinhatchee and Citrus County, Florida may have information that could help solve this case.
 
“Over the years that we’ve investigated this we’ve gotten a lot of the pieces of the puzzle. Someone could be holding a piece of the puzzle that they may not realize fits into the big picture,” said FDLE Special Agent Supervisor Mike Kennedy. “If you were familiar with the Miami, Crystal River or Steinhatchee areas in 1974, you may have a piece of the puzzle that is critical to solving this case.”
 
Persons with information about what happened to Norris may also have lived in, or have associates in the San Francisco and San Diego, California, Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee, and Des Moines, Iowa areas.
 
Norris may have been known to people by the name Richard Gunning.
 
“We’re working for the family of Mr. Norris so they can find out what happened to their loved one,” said FDLE Special Agent Supervisor Mike Kennedy. “Even though it’s been 50 years, we do have persons of interest and they should be held accountable for their actions even if it is 50 years later.”
 
If you have information about the murder of James Norris, please contact FDLE Tallahassee at (800) 342-0820.
 
See more about the James Norris cold case here.
 
Background
On the morning of October 4, 1974, San Francisco, California resident James Norris arrived on a commercial flight to Miami, Florida. He was traveling under the alias Richard Gunning.
 
Norris was carrying a large amount of cash with the intention of purchasing Colombian-grade marijuana that was not in California.
 
That afternoon, Norris and an associate traveled to the Crystal River, Florida area in Citrus County. That day Norris also mailed a postcard to his family from Inglis, Florida, in Levy County on the border with Citrus County. That was the last contact his family had with him.
 
On April 16, 1976, a bulldozer operator cutting through the woods off of U.S. Highway 19 came upon skeletal remains in northern Dixie County near the Taylor County line.
 
The remains were unidentified for more than 30 years when, in 2009, FDLE Special Agent (now Special Agent Supervisor) David Wilson recognized that advances in DNA testing might yield some positive results. Because of the age of the remains, FDLE’s forensic scientists recommended that they be sent to the University of North Texas (UNT) for testing. In 2010, UNT was able to obtain a DNA profile, but it was not enough to enter into CODIS. 
 
The results were given to FDLE Special Agent (now Special Agent Supervisor) Mike Kennedy with the recommendation from UNT that the case be entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUS). NamUS provides technology, forensic services and investigative support to resolve missing persons and unidentified remains cases.
 
Reviewing the NamUS website’s Missing Persons section, Agent Kennedy observed that James Norris was listed as missing from Florida approximately 18 months and100 miles from where the skeletal remains were discovered. Additionally, NamUS noted that Norris’ family had placed their DNA on file with the California Department of Justice (DOJ) for use as a comparison.
 
Agent Kennedy requested that the DNA profiles with the California DOJ be sent to UNT for comparison.  The University confirmed that the remains were James Norris, and an active homicide investigation was initiated. In April 2011, Norris’ family members flew to Florida to claim his remains.
 
The investigation shows that Norris traveled to Citrus County, Florida to purchase marijuana from an organization operating in that county. The investigation has uncovered the names of members of that organization.
 
The Norris family has established a Facebook page and a website sharing information about the search for their loved one. Please visit https://www.facebook.com/WhoKilledJamesNorris and www.whokilledjamesnorris.com for more information.
 
For Further Information Contact:
FDLE Office of Public Information
Info@fdle.state.fl.us