Ruby Dean Lane, a 19-year-old woman from Perry, Florida, was tragically murdered on May 11, 1993. Her case remained unsolved for years until investigators linked her death to Samuel Little, a notorious serial killer who confessed to numerous murders across the United States. Lane disappeared after meeting Little near a house in Perry during a party. Seven years later, in 2000, skeletal remains were discovered in a wooded area in Greenville, a small town in neighboring Madison County. It took another 14 years to identify the remains as belonging to Lane through DNA analysis.
Samuel Little, who has been convicted of multiple murders, confessed to killing Lane during an interview with investigators. His detailed recollection of the crime, including specifics about Lane's appearance, clothing, and the circumstances of her death, led authorities to take his confession seriously. In April 2019, a Taylor County grand jury indicted Little for Lane's murder. However, due to his age and the number of jurisdictions involved in his crimes, prosecutors waived the death penalty, believing he would likely die of old age before facing execution.
Little had a transient lifestyle, frequently moving between Florida towns, including Perry, where he stayed at the Skylark Motel. His confession provided crucial details that helped investigators close Lane's case, offering some measure of closure to her family. Despite the indictment, Little was never formally tried for Lane's murder, as he had already been convicted of other crimes and was serving a life sentence. His admission to killing Lane was part of a broader effort by law enforcement to resolve cold cases linked to him.
