Richard “Ricky/Rickey” Walker was 33 years old when he disappeared from Naples, Florida. In June 1993, he and his father were in the middle of constructing a house off Randall Boulevard, and his family expected him to come to a barbecue that evening, but he said he already had plans to meet friends, brothers John and Don Stacy, near their mobile home at the West Winds Trailer Park along U.S. 41 East in Naples.
According to the accounts given to investigators, Walker became intoxicated while visiting the Stacys. Don Stacy drove Walker’s bluish gray/light blue Oldsmobile Cutlass back to the trailer park and left Walker in or near the vehicle to sleep it off, placing Walker’s keys under the front seat. Sometime later, Walker was believed to have gone inside and fallen asleep on the couch at about 11:30 p.m.; by the next morning, Walker was gone, and his car was gone as well.
Walker’s vehicle has never been recovered. Descriptions note it had distinctive markings, including the names “Rickey” and “Kelly” scratched into the passenger door or dashboard, and it carried Dixie County, Florida plates reported as LTK-28Q; a partial VIN has also been circulated. A rifle was reportedly in the back seat around the time he vanished, described as a Marlin 30/30 with a mounted scope and camouflage case, and both the firearm and the car remain missing.
Investigators and family have long struggled with the total lack of a clear trail. Searches in and around Golden Gate Estates and nearby canals were conducted, including checks of waterways over time, but officials noted that vehicles pulled from canals did not include Walker’s car. With no confirmed sightings after that night, theories have ranged from an accident to foul play, including speculation about a drug deal or an attempted sale of the rifle; none of these possibilities has been proven.
A tip received in the mid-1990s suggested Walker’s body might have been buried near a convenience store close to the trailer park; a nearby canal was later drained, but no human remains were found. Law enforcement has stated foul play is suspected, and the case remains unsolved decades later.
Walker is generally described as a white male with black hair and green eyes, about 5'10" and 175 pounds, possibly with a mustache. Identifying details frequently mentioned include a blue-ink tattoo on his left shoulder/upper arm reading “Ricky” scars across his back from a past beating with a chain, a pinky finger that had been cut off and sewn back on, and missing front teeth; he also had a childhood history of Bright’s disease. He was last reported wearing jeans, white sneakers, and a dark cap, and may have had personal items such as a wallet with family photos and a pocketknife.
Behind the case details is a family left with unanswered questions. Reports describe Walker as a working tradesman and a devoted father, and his disappearance was considered deeply out of character. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office continues to list him as a missing endangered adult and asks anyone with information to contact investigators.Last Seen: Jun 19, 1993
