On August 1, 1980, a tragic incident occurred in Holmes Beach, Florida, resulting in the death of Mark Dumois, a 9-year-old boy. Mark, along with his father, Dr. Juan Dumois, 47, and his older brother, Eric Dumois, 13, were fatally shot by an unknown assailant. The family, originally from Tampa, was on vacation and had just returned from a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico. They were accompanied by their uncle, Raymond Barrows, 54, who survived the attack but later died of natural causes in 1982. The incident also claimed the life of Robert Matzke, a 60-year-old local resident.
The Dumois family had just loaded their boat onto a trailer at the Kingfish Boat Ramp when they were approached by a man on a bicycle. The man, who claimed to have injured his ankle, asked for a ride. After loading his bicycle into the boat, he got into the back seat of the Dumois' station wagon with the children. As Dr. Dumois began to drive away, the assailant opened fire, shooting all the occupants in the back of the head with a .22 caliber weapon. The vehicle jackknifed on the north shoulder of Manatee Avenue, and the assailant fled the scene on his bicycle.
Robert Matzke, who was working in his yard nearby, witnessed the incident and pursued the assailant to a nearby grocery store. There, Matzke confronted the gunman and was fatally shot. The assailant then loaded his bicycle into a tan-colored vehicle and drove away, leaving the crime scene.
Despite extensive investigations by the Holmes Beach Police Department and the involvement of the FBI, the case remains unsolved. Multiple descriptions of the suspect were provided, but no arrests have been made. The case continues to be a cold case, with the Manatee County Crime Stoppers still seeking tips from the public.
The Dumois family, consisting of Dr. Juan Dumois, a respected physician, and his sons Eric and Mark, were of Hispanic descent. Their tragic deaths, along with that of Robert Matzke, left a lasting impact on the community. The Kingfish Boat Ramp murders remain one of the most haunting unsolved cases in the history of Holmes Beach.
