The Brief
- A young cocktail waitress and former Suncoast Playboy Bunny of the Year was found stabbed to death in her St. Petersburg apartment in 1984.
- For decades, investigators and the community have wondered whether her killing was connected to the now-closed Suncoast Playboy Club.
- Nearly 40 years later, detectives are turning to new forensic testing and genetic genealogy in hopes of finally solving the case.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Nearly four decades after the brutal murder of a young St. Petersburg woman, investigators are once again searching for answers using modern forensic science to revisit a mystery that has lingered since the summer of 1984.
The victim, Carolyn Merricks, was just 28 years old when she was found stabbed to death inside her South St. Petersburg apartment.
What we know:…