Lieutenant Robert Young (3:50)

It was a poorly lit industrial area, especially at night. You know, December, around 5:30, 6:00, it's getting dark. There's junk back there. People throw their garbage. There's some vegetation back there. It's in between two industrial buildings. Nobody's looking back there for bodies. But, you know, he notices something a little to his right, and he realizes this is a decomposing body. And when he's done going to the bathroom, he gets back in the car. And I believe initially he didn't go to the police. I believe he went home first and told someone. And then they went to the lobby of the police department and told him, hey, there may be a body located in the alleyway just north of Central Avenue on 12th Street.

Ashley Flowers (4:45)

That was Lieutenant Robert Young. He told our reporter that officers with the Naples PD went out to the scene and found the decomposed body of a woman who had been dumped hidden away in a dark corner along with trash and debris.

Lieutenant Robert Young (4:59)

She's bound behind her back with a red dress that was torn apart, and it was used to bind her as well as wrapped around her neck to possibly strangle her. You could see the ligature around her neck and her arms that are bound looked like she had bindings on her ankles. But over the course of days, they somehow came apart or they were never put on that tightly.

Ashley Flowers (5:27)

With her torn dress used as bindings and ligature, she was left completely nude. And investigators didn't locate any undergarments at the scene due to her state of decomp, they assumed that she'd been left there for at least a few days or so. And it wasn't that shocking that she hadn't been found until now, considering most people would have no reason to venture into that area. So detectives collected everything they could from everywhere they could. High and low on the ground. They didn't get much. Aside from the pieces of cloth from her dress, Everything else just appeared to be random litter that was likely already there before their victim. But they didn't stop looking there.

Lieutenant Robert Young (6:08)

And then they also went to check the rooftops, and they found she had a pair of beige slides, slippers, and they were actually found on the roof of this building. You just check to see if any evidence was thrown, maybe a knife was, maybe a Weapon was thrown over there. So you got to do your due diligence and you check the whole entire area.

Ashley Flowers (6:33)

I was honestly pretty impressed that they went as far as to check the roof. I know you can never be too sure upon first glance, but it didn't look like the victim had taken a fall or anything. And since this looked like a strangulation case, I'm not sure what they were expecting to find up there. But find they did. Though they think that the shoes were tossed up there for some unknown reason rather than her having actually been up there before her death with nothing but her dress and shoes. Detectives didn't have a clue as to who she was, but the folks in the river park community were starting to talk and they had a pretty good idea.

Von Seal (7:13)

Well, there was a rumor going around that a body was found and they gave a description. And then they finally found out that it was my sister.

Ashley Flowers (7:23)

That was Von Seal. And her sister was 27 year old Sharon Jones.

Von Seal (7:28)

And the police department called me because I worked for the city at the time, so they knew me. They called me in to tell me that it was my sister that they found over by the Naples Daily News. She was struggling with the drug abuse, I must admit. At first I was giving her money to support her habit because I didn't want her to do that. You know, what they do to support the habit. And then my husband said, bonsa, you're just enabling her. Stop doing that. And I did. Eventually. It was hard and we talked and I tried to get her off the tough love. Didn't work. I mean, nothing worked.

Ashley Flowers (8:08)

It was her fingerprints on file that confirmed at autopsy the rumors Von Seal was hearing. The autopsy also confirmed what investigators had already assumed. Sharon's cause of death was ligature strangulation. The makeshift ligature being her own dress. There were no signs of sexual assault, and there were also no obvious signs of trauma that could have come from some type of assault or beating. The M.E. estimated that she had likely been dead around four or five days. And detectives were able to pinpoint November 26 as the last day one of her sisters had contact with her. But they needed to nail down who she'd been spending time with around then. Spring is all about renewal, so refresh your looks with incredible new must haves from Nordstrom Rack. Thousands of spring finds up to 70% off are at Nordstrom Rack stores right now. And that means thousands of reasons to rack. Save on madewell, Vince, Kate Spade, New York, Sam Edelman, Joe's, and more. You never know what you'll find. But you know it's going to be so good. From some fresh kicks to spring tops to new dresses, discover your new favorites at Nordstrom Rack. Great brands, great prices.

Uzo Aduba (9:23)

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Lieutenant Robert Young (9:59)

Detectives go down to the area where all the drug dealers and drug users hang out or reside so they get some information that there was a party. And during this party, these were the five or six individuals that were present. Sharon was one of them. Girls were expected to exchange sexual favors for crack cocaine, which was very popular at the time. And two of the people that were present were Arthur Neesmith and Robert Ruscha. And we had at least two people, females that were present there who stated that Sharon went into a room with those two subjects. You had people there who were in this apartment who all had criminal histories. So everyone pretty much at the party has given a statement with the exception of those two guys. And even to this day, you know, when we tried to interview them, Rache just gets angry and shouts. He had nothing to do with it. And Neesmith says, I have an attorney, I'm not making any statements.

Ashley Flowers (11:11)

There were two party attendees who were willing to talk though two women who, to protect their identities, we're going to call Maria and Monica. A weird coincidence if you believe in coincidences. Monica was actually in the car with Grady when he accidentally stumbled upon Sharon's body. Admittedly, these two women were both under the influence that night. So while their memories were a bit hazy, their stories revolving around Robert and Arthur are nearly identical and I think speak to their credibility. They were also both seemingly open about their involvement in other illegal activity, like substance use and sex work. So they truly appeared to be acting in good faith when they spoke with law enforcement during the initial investigation as well as throughout the following years. Here are voice actors reading from a section of a transcript from one of Maria's interviews with a detective as she recollected the sequence of events involving Sharon in more detail. Please note some parts have been cut and slightly edited for time and clarity. Okay, what happened to Sharon?

Maria (12:18)

Well, what happened? I don't Know. But I can tell you what happened. What. What I seen. Okay.

Ashley Flowers (12:26)

That's okay.

Maria (12:27)

We went in, and the agreement was she was gonna trick NI Smith for drugs.

Uzo Aduba (12:35)

Okay.

Maria (12:36)

But we all started smoking because she was so high. She was paranoid and shaky, and he was pushing her to come on, take her clothes off. You know, he wanted to have sex, and she was so high, you know, she kept telling, wait, wait, wait, wait. And he was waiting. And she was really, really high. And, like, we heard a noise. And then when we opened the door, he had slapped her. I really. It's been a long time.

Uzo Aduba (13:05)

Okay. Take your time.

Maria (13:08)

It's something I try to forget about. I don't remember, but I know he hit her. He hit her.

Uzo Aduba (13:15)

Okay.

Maria (13:16)

There was another guy there.

Uzo Aduba (13:17)

Okay.

Maria (13:18)

N. Smith. When he hit her, Sharon hit the floor and, like, passed out.

Uzo Aduba (13:23)

Okay. Was he freaking out or was he calm?

Maria (13:28)

He was mad. He was really mad. And I went. When I went in to say something, he told me to shut up or he was gonna hit me too.

Uzo Aduba (13:36)

Okay. What did they do with Sharon?

Maria (13:40)

I know that NI Smith went to grab her up, and the other guy had her feet.

Uzo Aduba (13:44)

Okay.

Maria (13:45)

And they said. Because I said, where are you going? Where you going? And they said that she was really f ed up and they were taking her home.

Ashley Flowers (13:54)

It seems like Maria was eventually able to identify Robert Ruscha as the other man she'd been referring to. During that interview, both Maria and Monica remembered Sharon being hauled out of the apartment and into a vehicle outside. But neither woman remembered her being tied up in any way when she was carried off. So it seems most likely that Sharon was unconscious and wasn't actually deceased when she was taken away. Since we know that she was tied up and that her cause of death was strangulation, the murder likely occurred after the group left the apartment. Through word of mouth, detectives eventually figured out that it was likely one of the partygoers, a guy who went by Shawn, who Niesmith and Racha used as their getaway driver.

Lieutenant Robert Young (14:39)

They asked him to drive his vehicle to the back of 9B. And that's where they assume Sharon was placed through the window into the backseat of car. And that was the last time that she was seen by any of the people present there at the party.

Ashley Flowers (14:55)

Investigators talked to Shawn while he was in jail for drug possession, and he was reluctant. He threw out two names of other men at the party as probably being responsible, one being Robert Richa, but he didn't appear to disclose why he thought this. We don't have any details about how he Reacted when he was specifically confronted about his car being used in a crime. But Lt. Young said that he thinks the car may have been like a shared car that a lot of different people who stayed in that apartment would use. So maybe that could have been his excuse to keep the heat off of him. But either way, detectives did locate the Chevy station wagon to search and process.

Lieutenant Robert Young (15:37)

They would have looked for hairs, any type of blood, Any type of evidence indicates a violent act occurred in the rear of that vehicle at the time. Nobody was scouring for DNA. You would just look for the presence of blood, hairs, things of that nature. And there was nothing recovered of evidentiary value from that vehicle.

Ashley Flowers (15:58)

Outside of Maria and Monica, who were cooperative, and Arthur and Robert, who remained silent, it sounds like the other party guests had varying degrees of participation with law enforcement. Some of them played dumb and denied even being there at all, While others said that they hadn't really been paying attention to what Sharon was up to and denied seeing her past a certain time. But there was one brave soul who came out of the woodwork supposedly ready to spill it all. A guy named John. He was older than everyone else and was the main tenant on the apartment lease, Though it seemed like a lot of other people lived there, kind of on and off. And while he didn't seem to be actively partaking in the events of that night, he had been present there.

Lieutenant Robert Young (16:43)

He was very sick. I don't know whether it was through genetics or drug abuse. Both don't know. But he lived there. A lot of people lived there. Robert Riche was also a tenant there. John is hospitalized shortly afterwards, and he's on his deathbed, for lack of a better term. And he wants to provide one of our detectives A complete deathbed confession about what took place there. And by the time our detective got to the hospital, he had passed.

Ashley Flowers (17:15)

As frustrating as this was, I don't know how much of a difference it would have made for detectives. While different names have been thrown out over the years in regard to exactly who was responsible for killing Sharon Jones, we don't have any witness accounts that put John as the perp. So most likely he would have just been another witness to back up Maria and Monica's story. And we know that that alone hasn't been enough for an arrest. What they really needed was a confession from someone who actually participated in the crime. And wouldn't you know it, the very next year, in 1988, Robert was also at the hospital when he told detectives he had something he wanted to get off of his chest, too. Are you looking to take control of your health? One way to do that is to check Goodrx and finally, stop overpaying for your prescription medications. With Goodrx, you can find big savings on your prescriptions for everything from cold and flu medications to remedies for your allergies and so much more. Goodrx is free and easy to use. Just search for any prescription on the Goodrx website or app, get your coupon and show it to the pharmacist. Check Goodrx to save up to 80% at pharmacies near you, including Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Publix, Albertsons, Kroger and many more. Remember, Goodrx works whether you have insurance or not. And even if you have insurance, GoodRx could beat your co pay price. For simple, smart savings on your everyday prescriptions, check GoodRx. Go to goodrx.com dec that's goodrx.com Dec.

Lieutenant Robert Young (19:07)

Vargas was contacted at his residence to respond to the Naples Community Hospital concerning Robert Richa. He requested to speak with the detective to make statements about the murder. He said, I need to speak with Victor, tell him I can solve the murder case for him. Well, so the detective gets dressed and drives down there and he goes, I was advised that Riche had been smoking crack cocaine. And when I entered the emergency room, he was in tears relating that he needed to talk with me.

Ashley Flowers (19:39)

However, it seemed like Robert Ruscha may have sobered up because the detective wrote that he quickly came to his senses and had nothing to say. But all wasn't lost with this second letdown, because one of their more obliging partygoers, Monica, had something up her sleeve, a plan to get Arthur Neesmith talking.

Lieutenant Robert Young (20:03)

She goes, he'll talk to me. He'll talk to me about anything. So she meets with the vice narcotics guys. They get her out of jail and they wire her up, get getting a drug deal going down, and she's going to go there and she no shows. So they then like, hey, you're out. We got you out of jail right now, so we're responsible for you. So then like a couple of weeks go by, she finally said, okay, okay, we can do the deal. I told him what I need. He's going to go get the drugs and then he's going to go back to his apartment. So they got her all wired up. And our detectives at the time, the narcotics guys who were orchestrating this whole thing, they got their cover blown. She goes to the house and is like, okay, yeah, when's the Thing. And he gives her her hundred dollars back and says, get the out of my apartment.

Ashley Flowers (20:50)

It doesn't seem like Arthur even knew. The plan was for Monica to bring up Sharon in an attempt to get him to talk about what went down the night of the party. I think he just assumed that she was helping the narcotics team nail him for selling drugs. But once Arthur caught on to the fact that he was being watched, it was a bust. Being from a family originally from Naples that still lives there today, Sharon's loved ones, including the three children she left behind, have heard plenty of talk around town over the past few decades about her homicide. Some of them didn't even realize how violent her death had been until they read the write up on her card, the one featured in the Southwest Florida crimestoppers playing deck. One of Sharon's daughters, Sharonda, actually ran into the woman we'd been calling Maria some years ago.

Sharonda (21:40)

She stopped me at Walmart and she was like, I know you. I'm looking at her like, no, you don't know me. She was like, yeah, I know you. You were a little girl back then. Your mom's name's Sharon. And I just looked at her like, how would you know that? And she was like, I want to talk to you. So back then, she gave me her number and I called her. I went over, she stayed in Harmony Shores. I went over and she sat me down. She said, I was there that night. And I'mma give you a name. His name is Nece Smith. He was there. He did it. And I haven't seen her since. I haven't heard anything from her. I haven't seen her. I tried to call her, like a week later, gone. She wasn't in Harmony Shores no more or anything. The one that does come up more than the other is that they were all hanging out and there was a disagreement over some drugs or whatever, and that's how it broke out. So my question was to them, okay, so the fight broke out. Y'all just let this happen. And somehow he's taking her out the window in the back. There's a blood trail going down the window. And none of y'all said anything? I don't believe it.

Ashley Flowers (22:57)

It's hard for the family to imagine their fierce Sharon being in such a vulnerable spot. Here's her other daughter, Jaquanetta, talking with Sharonda about what they've heard from others about their mom's tough and independent personality. When Sharon was murdered, Sharonda was only a toddler and Jaquinnetta was around seven A people's person.

Sharonda (23:19)

They did say that she got along with everybody, but she didn't take any BS from no one. She didn't care who it was. And no one messed with the sisters. It was six of them. No one. And I dare you to. And guess who's coming. Sharon Cheri. She's coming about her sisters to the point where even the cops would have to call my grandmother to come get this lady from beating up someone who threatened her sister.

Ashley Flowers (23:51)

The family feels that the truth has to lie somewhere in the story surrounding that fateful night. The same details circulating around the same people have been repeated so many times, there just has to be something to it. But realistically, they know that it might take forensics to push things forward, and that is something that Lt. Young has been working on. He made a big push to resubmit evidence for testing back in 2021, with the bindings and ligatures made from her dress being the items he thought would be the most promising. But unfortunately, none of it came back with any foreign DNA. And as technology for touch DNA like MVAC improves, hope does remain for giving it another shot. Maybe in the future. There's DNA on file for both Arthur and Robert, so detectives would have something for comparison should anything pop up. Lieutenant Young said that they are the only two persons of interest ever produced during the investigation. So of course our reporting team reached out to both of them for this episode. While Robert wouldn't participate in a formal interview, he did text back. Among other things, he said that he knows nothing about the case, can't contribute to finding a suspect, and that his conscience is clear. He said he didn't know Sharon, and that he's sad for the family. He also said he was only ever briefly in Naples, and during a short five minute phone call, Arthur seemed like he was possibly open to speaking on this podcast after mentioning he didn't know how he got caught up in this, but he said he wanted to clear his name. He asked if our reporter could talk to his brother first before he answered any of our questions. But our reporter never heard from anyone in his family, and when she tried to reach back out to him to see if he still planned on talking, as of this recording, he hasn't responded. So if there is someone out there somewhere who is willing to set the record straight, detectives and Sharon's family are all ears. At least with this podcast, they feel some sense of comfort knowing Sharon's story has been put out there. She's someone that they will surely never forget. And maybe now she'll be on your mind too.

Von Seal (26:04)

She was a sister, a mother and a daughter and she's somebody's child and because she's on drug does not make her less. And that's what I thought when I talked to the police department and that's why they said what they said. We're going to treat this like she was the mayor's daughter and I appreciated that.

Ashley Flowers (26:27)

If you know anything about the murder of Sharon Jones in Naples, Florida in 1987, we hope you'll come forward for this family. You can remain anonymous by submitting a tip through Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers Online or by calling them at 1-800-780-8477. We're also going to have all of the ways that you can contact the Naples police directly in the show Notes notes and on the blog post for this episode. The Deck is an Audio Chuck production with theme music by Ryan Lewis. To learn more about the Deck and our advocacy work, visit thedeckpodcast.com so what do you think Chuck? Do you approve.

Uzo Aduba (27:20)

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