Laralee Spear
On Monday, April 25, 1994, 15 year old Laralee Spear stepped off the bus after school at her regular spot around 3:15 pm. Laralee had plans to walk the quarter of a mile from her bus stop to her house, rest for a bit and then return to school that evening for a Keyette Club meeting. The aspiring doctor was involved in many extracurricular clubs and a straight A student. When Laralee didn’t arrive at home in her usual window of arrival, her mother quickly became concerned.
The only times Laralee has not made it home in this window was on the off case she would stop and watch her neighbor’s horses in the pasture. Her mother checked the quarter of a mile between where Laralee steps off the bus and their house and when she didn’t see her daughter, panic set in. Immediately phoned her friends to make sure Laralee made it on the bus and calling the police to report her daughter missing.
Within 45 minutes of Laralee’s usual arrival, police were on site and a search begins. Both on foot and by helicopter. It was merely minutes before the helicopter noted a body next to an abandoned burned down house 200 yards from the Spear family home.
The house had been burned down and abandoned for over a year. Laralee’s body was found near this house bound and partially nude. There was evidence of physical abuse and three gunshot wounds. Tire tracks were found at the scene and pieces of Laralee’s clothing were strewn about, almost as if they were thrown from the vehicle.
In 2021, a $50,000 reward was announced for information leading to Laralee’s murder. Sheriff Chitwood stated “No family deserves to experience what Laralee’s family has been through for all of these years. If anyone out there has information that could help bring this innocent girl’s killer or killers to justice, now is the time to clear your conscience and come forward.” The Volusia County Sheriff’s office is asking anyone that lived in the area and knew Laralee Spear to please come forward.
Who killed Laralee Spear?
If you or someone you know has information about the murder of Laralee Spear,
please reach out to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office at 386.254.1537.
