http://www.jdnews.com/news/meyers_55564___...olice_surf.htmlCold case moves to the front burner
Surf City reopens 1974 investigation
March 20, 2008 - 12:31AM
LINDELL KAY
THE DAILY NEWS STAFF
SURF CITY - Details in a letter sent recently to the Surf City Police Department have reopened an investigation into a suspicious drowning death that occurred 34 years ago.
Bruce Edward Meyers, 59, disappeared June 1, 1974. His body was removed from a tributary off the Intracoastal Waterway behind what is now Herrings Outdoor Sports at 701 N. New River Drive on July 20 of that year, police said.
Meyers, a fry cook at Barnacle Bill's Pier, could not swim, and investigators said the people who remember him said Meyers would never go near the water.
Members of the emergency crew that recovered Meyers' body told investigators they felt he was intentionally drowned, according to a press release from the Surf City Police Department.
"The medical examiner at the time listed the cause of death as suspicious," said Surf City Police Chief Mike Halstead. "But we don't know how thorough the case was investigated, because very few records from then still exist."
A family member of Meyers who no longer lives in the Topsail Island area told The Daily News on Wednesday that Meyers lived a simple life at the beach and did not bother anyone.
Millie Mizzelle, Meyers' daughter, said Meyers divorced her mother and moved to Surf City from Washington. There was little contact between Meyers and his family after that, but Mizzelle said the family always suspected foul play was involved in her father's death.
Investigators said the person who sent the letter was a teenager in Surf City at the time of Meyers' death, but would not provide any other information about that person's identity.
The letter writer remembered Meyers while watching a television show about cold cases, investigators said.
Police said they have enough information from the letter and subsequent interviews to believe Meyers was killed.
Since receiving the letter, investigators have conducted interviews with longtime residents and tried to locate retired police officers, looking for any information about Meyers.
Detectives have reached a dead end in the investigation and are now asking the public for information about Meyers.
Police are asking anyone with first-hand knowledge concerning Meyers' death to contact Sgt. Jimmy Claxton at 910-328-7711.
Crime Stoppers of Onslow County is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to an arrest or apprehension in Meyers' death. People with information can contact Crime Stoppers at 910-938-3273. Callers do not have to reveal their identities.
Contact police reporter Lindell Kay at lkay@freedomenc.com or 910-554-8534. To comment on this story or to read others' comments go to jdnews.com.