Do you know who killed Shirley Elizabeth Whitten and Roger Dale Higgins in 1972?
On February 22, 1972, Shirley Elizabeth Whitten, age 19, and Roger Dale Higgins, age 26, were found brutally murdered in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Wildwood, Florida. The bodies of Whitten and Higgins were discovered early in the morning, and both victims had been stabbed multiple times. Shirley Whitten was an employee at the Union 76 Truck Stop in Wildwood, while Higgins was associated with a trucking company in South Florida. The pair were discovered in a chilling scene: Whitten was found lying partially unclothed near Higgins, suggesting a highly personal and violent crime.
The circumstances leading up to the murders remain mysterious. Witnesses and some local residents reported seeing the two together in the area before the incident, and some speculated that there may have been a heated disagreement or conflict involved. The exact motive remains unclear, but rumors circulated that Whitten might have been pregnant at the time of her death, which some locals believe could have been a motive for the crime. Despite various leads and suspicions, including mentions of Whitten's boyfriend or ex-boyfriend, no suspects were formally charged, and the case went cold.
The murders of Shirley Whitten and Roger Higgins have haunted the community for decades, becoming one of Wildwood's most well-known cold cases. Attempts to revive the investigation, including by retired FBI profilers and other true crime investigators, have yet to yield any substantial breakthroughs. The crime scene, a remote cemetery, provided limited physical evidence, making it difficult for law enforcement at the time to gather crucial clues. As a result, despite some testimony and suspicion involving local individuals, this double homicide remains unsolved to this day.
