It has been 30 years since 15-year-old Laralee Spear was abducted and murdered in Volusia County, and the sheriff’s office is offering a cash reward to encourage anyone with information regarding this cold case to come forward.
On April 25, 1994, Laralee was walking home from her bus stop outside DeLand when she was abducted in the middle of the afternoon.
According to the sheriff’s office, Laralee was then killed near a burned-down residence located approximately a quarter-mile away from her family’s home on Deerfoot Road.
VCSO detectives have been trying to solve this case for three decades. They have learned over the course of the investigation that prior to Laralee’s murder, people were gathering at the abandoned property to hang out and shoot guns.
“We believe someone out there knows something that could help this investigation,” stated the sheriff’s office in a social media post on Thursday.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this case.
If you have any information regarding this cold case that could help investigators, please contact the VCSO Major Case Unit via phone (386-254-1537) or email (ColdCaseUnitTips@volusiasheriff.gov).
“Let’s come together, and let’s give Loralee the justice that she deserves,” stated Volusia County Sheriff Michael Chitwood.