On Christmas Eve of 1979, the life of 21-year-old Susan Boynton, a young woman residing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was tragically cut short. Her death, a brutal combination of strangulation and a fatal stab wound to the neck, marked the beginning of a long and frustrating investigation for law enforcement in Broward County. The holiday season, a time typically filled with joy and celebration, became a backdrop for a violent crime that would remain a dark mystery for decades to come. The initial investigation into Susan's murder left detectives with few leads, and the case, like so many others from that era, was fraught with the challenges of limited forensic technology.
As the years passed, Susan's case grew cold, a file among many in the archives of unsolved homicides. However, a glimmer of hope for a resolution emerged with the advancements in DNA technology and the investigation into the horrific crimes of one of Florida's most notorious serial predators, Eddie Lee Mosley. Mosley, a man suspected in a string of brutal rapes and murders of women in the Fort Lauderdale area throughout the 1970s and 1980s, became a person of interest in Susan's death. Investigators explored the possibility that she was another one of his many victims, a theory that, if proven, could finally bring a name to her killer and a measure of peace to her memory.
Despite the strong suspicion surrounding Eddie Lee Mosley, the scientific evidence did not provide the definitive link investigators were hoping for. When his DNA was compared to evidence collected in Susan's case, it was not a match. While this result was a setback, authorities have not entirely dismissed the possibility of his involvement, leaving him as a lingering, though unproven, suspect. To this day, no other individuals have been arrested or charged in connection with the murder of Susan Boynton. Her case remains an official cold case, a chilling reminder of a young life taken too soon and a killer who has never been brought to justice. The story of Susan Boynton's untimely death is one of initial horror, a flicker of hope with the investigation into a known serial killer, and the ultimate, lingering pain of an unresolved crime that has haunted the South Florida community for over four decades.
