After more than four decades, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office has officially closed the cold case murder of Delbert “Lou” Luzader, bringing long-awaited closure to his family.
Luzader was last seen on May 28, 1983, after leaving his home on Trout River Boulevard in Jacksonville to visit Playbill’s Liquor & Package Store in Callahan. Nearly five months later, on October 18, 1983, his body was discovered wrapped in sheets off Crawford Road in Callahan. His 1970s Ford Ranger was never recovered and may have been sold in South Carolina.
In 2024, NCSO’s Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation and uncovered new information linking David Wyatt Jones to Luzader’s death. They found Jones had actually admitted to discarding Luzader’s remains and led investigators to the exact location where he buried the body.
Jones was already a convicted murderer, found guilty of the 1986 killing of Jasper Highsmith and the 1995 murder of Lori McRae. While awaiting execution on death row for the murder of McRae, Jones died of natural causes.
With Jones’s confession verified and the suspect deceased, investigators have now closed the case.
The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit expressed gratitude to all who assisted in resolving the case, noting that Luzader’s family finally has answers after 42 years. Investigators also believe Jones may be linked to other unsolved murders with similar methods and are encouraging agencies with comparable cases to contact the Cold Case Unit for potential connections.
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