Polk County authorities in central Florida are searching for suspects in the brutal murder of three young men in a lake Friday night. The only clues they have were given by one of the youths before he died, but the police have not released that information at the moment, according to the sheriff’s own office in a statement.
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Although not common before having more leads, the sheriff’s office immediately offered a $ 5,000 reward to anyone who can provide information about the case.
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The victims were identified as Damion Tillman, 23, Keven Springfield, 30, and Brandon Rollins, 27, three friends who had gone fishing together on the shore of Lake Streety in Frostproof, Florida.
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It was just after 10:00 pm when Brandon’s father was awakened by a phone call from his son. “Help!” Was the only thing he managed to hear. And he quickly got in the car and went looking for him. He knew that his son had gone fishing with his friends in the lake, like many other times. And the lake was close to home.
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“When he arrived, he found his son Brandon barely alive and his two deceased friends,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release. “Brandon was able to say a few things to his father, which we are not publishing at this time,” the statement continues.
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But in desperation, Brandon’s father had left the phone at home, so he had to run to a nearby gas station to ask for 911 help. When the rescuers arrived, the three young men were dead.
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A first version of the facts
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Saturday they believe Damion Tillman arrived at the lake first, alone, and when Brandon Rollins and Keven Springfield arrived soon after, they found that Tillman was being beaten by unknown attackers. When the two intervened to help their friend, they also beat and shot them.
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“This is a horrible scene,” Judd said at a press conference. “I’ve been to many murder scenes in my life and this is among the worst I’ve ever been in.”
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“We are looking for clues; we need help to solve this crime as soon as possible because there is one or more, we suspect more, murderers who killed three people in a quiet community,” Judd said, adding that although they have no evidence, they believe that the suspects may have known the youth.
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“It’s not like there are a lot of people around here. As you can see, it’s grassland for cows and lakes,” Judd said. “The victims, their parents and their families deserve that we resolve this as soon as possible,” added the sheriff.
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These are the dramatic cases of child murders in Florida in the last 30 years
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