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On a quiet summer afternoon in 1975, two people riding ATVs through an open field made a horrific discovery, and what they found became a mystery that has lasted for decades.

The lifeless body of a young man was discovered on a dirt road approximately four miles west of the 4400 block of North University Drive in Lauderhill, a city once patrolled by the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

According to investigators at the time, the victim was found partially clothed with no identification and no other means of identifying him. Detectives say there was also a lack of physical evidence at the crime scene, which suggested the young man was brought to the location after being murdered.

In a quest to identify both the victim and his killer, investigators canvassed the area, combed through missing person reports, and pursued every possible lead. Yet, despite their efforts, the trail went cold for years, until now.

“Somebody’s been looking for their loved one for 51 years,” veteran BSO Cold Case Homicide Detective John Curcio said. “And every holiday, they’ve been looking for him, and we now know who he is. His name is Robert Freese.”

Det. Curcio, recently assigned to the BSO Cold Case Unit, has spent the past several months working to identify the victim and solve his murder. He believes identifying the victim could lead to finding his family, who may unknowingly hold the key to solving his murder.

With no identification, no witnesses, and no DNA, Det. Curcio turned to modern technology in hopes of finding a fingerprint match, and his persistence paid off. Det. Curcio was able to finally identify the victim with assistance from BSO’s Crime Lab Latent Print Unit. The match revealed the victim’s name, physical description, where he was born, where he last lived, and a misdemeanor arrest that occurred in Pompano Beach a few months prior to his death.

Freese was described as a white male, 6 feet tall, weighing 170 to 175 pounds with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was born in Nassau County, New York in 1957, and lived near the 700 block of Northwest Sixth Street in Pompano Beach at the time of his death.

Despite this pivotal discovery, Freese’s life and death remains a mystery.

In an effort to find Freese’s birth certificate and, ultimately, his family, Det. Curcio submitted a subpoena to Nassau County. However, there simply wasn’t enough information to track down his birth records.

Det. Curcio is now turning to the public for help. He’s urging anyone who may have known Freese or his family to contact him at 954-321-4212. Information can also be submitted through the SaferWatch app. Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous can contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477), online at browardcrimestoppers.org, or dial **TIPS (8477) from any cellphone in the United States.

The smallest of details could help bring justice for Robert Freese and his family.