Florida man convicted in 2004 cold case death of victim whose remains have not been found

LEVY COUNTY, Fla. (TCN) -- A man has been convicted in the 2004 cold case death of a victim whose remains have not yet been found.

According to the Levy County Sheriff's Office, Michael Randolph Jr. disappeared from the Chiefland area in 2004, but no one reported him missing. Authorities said, "He just simply wasn't seen again."

Randolph had reportedly been arrested multiple times on drug-related charges. There were allegedly rumors among the illegal drug community that Solomon "John" Hall killed Randolph, but there was no concrete evidence to prove it.

A break in the case came in 2017 when detectives working on a separate drug investigation found evidence "giving some validity to the rumors" that Randolph was killed. According to the sheriff's office, Randolph didn't work a formal full-time job and relied on a state disability check. He reportedly stopped collecting his payments in May 2004, and there was no activity on his bank account. Deputies said no one they interviewed remembered seeing him in years, and many thought he moved away.

Investigators determined Hall allegedly killed Randolph and disposed of his remains. Detectives began digging in various locations to find Randolph, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

Despite not finding a body, in 2019, a jury indicted Hall on a charge of murder in connection with Randolph's death. He was already serving a sentence for unrelated drug convictions at the time. The sheriff's office announced June 4 that Hall accepted a plea offer for an additional 15 years in prison for Randolph's murder.

Hall never told officials where Randolph's remains are. Authorities said they're continuing to work on the case so the victim's family can give him a "proper burial."

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