{"id":68843,"date":"2024-07-05T12:04:23","date_gmt":"2024-07-05T16:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ontheridgemagazine.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/05\/polk-county-sheriffs-office-solves-1972-john-doe-homicide\/"},"modified":"2024-07-05T12:09:34","modified_gmt":"2024-07-05T16:09:34","slug":"polk-county-sheriffs-office-solves-1972-john-doe-homicide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winterhavendaily.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/05\/polk-county-sheriffs-office-solves-1972-john-doe-homicide\/","title":{"rendered":"Polk County Sheriff’s Office Solves 1972 “John Doe” Homicide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Polk County Sheriff\u2019s Office detectives have solved and closed a murder investigation that started 52 years ago in unincorporated Eloise. Detectives have identified the victim using advanced forensic genetic genealogy, and uncovered the two suspects responsible for the murder, both of whom are dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On May 17, 1972, Polk deputies responded to a reported body found in a field just to the south of the canal between Lake Lulu and Lake Ship, and southeast of the US 17 overpass from Eloise to Winter Haven. A person fishing in the area discovered the victim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Victim Mack Proctor with an unknown woman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Deputies found the body of a white male estimated to be in his 40s to 50s in advanced stages of decomposition. There was no wallet and no identification on the body. There were 2 small caliber gunshot wounds to left side of the head and 1 exit wound to right side of the head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Crime scene map (1972)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

No leads or witnesses were identified during the initial investigation. The unidentified body was buried in a pauper\u2019s grave in Lakeside Memorial Cemetery in Winter Haven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January of 1974, Polk investigators were contacted by Charles Williams, an inmate in the Florida State prison system. He claimed that in November of 1973 he was in Raiford Prison (Union Correctional Facility in Raiford, Florida) with Clarence Ingram. Williams said Clarence Ingram told him the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Prison informant Charles Williams<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u2022   That in 1972, he (Clarence Ingram) and Edgar Todd met a white male\/victim in a bar in Winter Haven. \n\u2022   He claimed that they left the bar in the victim\u2019s white Chevrolet car and at some point while in the car they engaged in an argument. \n\u2022   During argument, Ingram handed Todd a 22 caliber pistol and Todd shot the victim two times in the head.\n\u2022   He claimed that they drove down the road and pulled over near an overpass in the Winter Haven \/ Eloise area.\n\u2022   They removed the body from the vehicle and put him in an area near a canal.\n\u2022   They removed his wallet and rings, leaving him by the canal, so the turtles would eat him.\n\u2022   He claimed the victim had approximately $1000 to $1500 worth of tools in his vehicle. They sold the tools to Clarence\u2019s brother, Johnny Ingram.\n\u2022   They then took the victim\u2019s vehicle to Keeler Michigan and sold it for $500.\n\u2022   Clarence told him that victim\u2019s vehicle had a Georgia license plate.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
In 1974 detectives made contact with law enforcement in Georgia seeking information about 1972 missing persons cases. Georgia authorities gave detectives information about a missing person named Lewis House, who went missing in 1972. The circumstances were similar to the PCSO case in that House left Georgia headed to Florida and was never seen again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This information was followed up, but no further leads were found and the case went cold. They were unable to prove or disprove the identity of the victim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In February of 2017 the PCSO Cold Case Unit obtained a court order allowing the 1972 homicide victim\u2019s body to be exhumed for the purpose of DNA collection. The victim\u2019s DNA was collected and sent to the University of North Texas. With the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, family reference samples were collected from Lewis House\u2019s family members. These samples were sent UNT. Testing revealed the victim was not Lewis House. The victim\u2019s DNA was entered into the national CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) data base and there were no matching profiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In November of 2023 the cold case unit submitted a section of the victim\u2019s femur bone to Othram, Inc., a private lab specializing in forensic genetic genealogy in cold case investigations, for genealogical testing and examination. In April of 2024 Othram submitted a report which indicated that the victim could possibly be Mack Lavell Proctor, a white male with of date of birth of 11\/28\/1914.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contact was made with Mr. Wright Proctor, of Ellijay, Georgia, the son of Mack Proctor. During interviews with Wright and other family members, it was learned that Mack Proctor was last seen by the family between 1969-1972 in Georgia, though he was never reported missing to law enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr. Wright Proctor provided DNA samples to be compared with the 1972 Eloise homicide victim. Wright confirmed that he last saw his father sometime around 1969 – 1970 in Georgia. Wright stated that his father gave him the impression that he was leaving Georgia. Wright confirmed that his father was a master mechanic and would have his tools in his vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On May 5, 2023, detectives received a report from Othram that indicated that Wright Proctor is the biological son of Mack Lavell Proctor, indicating that Mack Lavell Proctor is the homicide victim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a part of the cold case unit\u2019s investigation, detectives learned that suspect Edgar Todd died 2015. Suspect Clarence Wallace Ingram died 1995. Clarence\u2019s brother, Jonny Lee Ingram, to whom they reportedly sold to tools, died in 2003.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Suspect Edgar Todd<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
It was discovered on Clarence Ingram\u2019s criminal history that he received a criminal traffic citation on May 25, 1972, which was just eight (8) days after the victim\u2019s body was found.\u00a0He received the citation in Paw Paw, Michigan.\u00a0This gives credence to what Charles Williams said, that the victim\u2019s vehicle was sold in Michigan. Keeler, Michigan is 20 miles away from Paw Paw, Michigan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Distance between Keeler and Paw Paw, Michigan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Clarence Ingram was charged with a homicide in Lake County on 04\/21\/1973 and was later convicted. During this incident he shot that victim with a 25 Caliber handgun, in the back, three times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Suspect Clarence Ingram <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
According to Mack Proctor\u2019s family, Mack commonly had a 25 Caliber handgun with him at all times.
Polk detectives attempted to complete a firearm trace, but the serial number of the gun did not reveal any history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cold case investigation revealed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022   According to the Victim\u2019s Family, the victim was (Mack Proctor) was known to be a heavy drinker.\n\u2022   Clarence Ingram and Edgar Todd were close associates and resided in the Eloise and Winter Haven areas at the time of the homicide.\n\u2022   The information provided by Charles Williams (the prison informant) was extremely accurate, including:\n\u2022   The victim was shot twice in the head.\n\u2022   The body dumpsite was near an overpass and a canal.\n\u2022   The victim would have had a large amount of tools in his vehicle.\n\u2022   The victim\u2019s vehicle would have had Georgia license plate.\n\u2022   Clarence Ingram was stopped by police in Michigan approximately a week later, near where it was said they sold Mack Proctor\u2019s car.\n\u2022   Charles Williams could only have learned these specific details from someone involved in the murder.\n\u2022   Polk detectives confirmed that Clarence Ingram and Charles Williams (informant) were both incarcerated in the state prison in Raiford, Florida in 1973 when Williams claimed he was told this information by Ingram. <\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are extremely grateful for the assistance from Othram, Inc., who provided us with investigative leads that ultimately lead to our ability to positively identify Mack Proctor as the unknown 1972 homicide victim. Through that information, and the information provided to us by Charles Williams in 1974, we were able to piece together circumstantial evidence that strongly points to his killers: Edgar Todd and Clarence Ingram. They are dead, and unfortunately, we cannot hold them accountable for the cold-blooded killing and robbery of Mr. Proctor. However, we have provided some closure to Mr. Proctor\u2019s family and concluded a cold case homicide investigation. I am so thankful to our outstanding team of detectives who worked hard to solve this case, especially our lead detective Master Deputy Jason McPherson.\u201d Grady Judd, Sheriff
 
 
Time Line:
 
\u2022 May 17, 1972: the body of a \u201cJohn Doe\u201d homicide victim discovered in Eloise
\u2022 May 25, 1972: Clarence Ingram was stopped by police in Paw Paw Michigan and received a criminal traffic citation (8 days after the body was found in Eloise) and 20 miles away from where an informat tol detectives Ingram sold the murder victim\u2019s car.
\u2022 04\/21\/1973: Clarence Ingram charged with a homicide in Lake County and was later convicted.
\u2022 Nov. 1973: Charles Williams and Clarence Ingram were confirmed to be in Raiford Prison (Union Correctional Facility in Raiford, Florida) at the same time.
\u2022 01\/14\/1974: Informant Charles Williams told investigators that Clarence Ingram and Edgar Toddmurdered a man in Winter Haven in 1972 and dumped his body near a canal and overpass.
\u2022 1995: Clarence Ingram died.
\u2022 2003: Jonny Lee Ingram died.
\u2022 2015: Edgar Todd died.
\u2022 02\/10\/2017: \u201cJohn Doe\u201d body exhumed, DNA extracted. Detectives confirmed \u201cJohn Doe\u201d was not Lewis House. \u201cJohn Doe\u2019s\u201d DNA does not match any other profile in CODIS.
\u2022 11\/15\/2023 \u2013 Detectives submitted a section of the victim\u2019s femur bone to Othram, Inc., for genealogical testing and examination.
\u2022 04\/01\/2024 \u2013 Othram submitted a report indicating the victim could possibly be Mack Lavell Proctor, w\/m dob: 11\/28\/1914.
\u2022 04\/17\/2024 \u2013 Detectives made contact with Wright Proctor, son of Mack Proctor, in Ellijay, Georgia.
\u2022 05\/03\/2024 \u2013 received a report from Othram indicating that Wright Proctor is the biological son of Mack Lavell Proctor, indicating that Mack Lavell Proctor is the 1972 victim, \u201cJohn Doe.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Polk County Sheriff\u2019s Office detectives have solved and closed a murder investigation that started 52 years ago in unincorporated Eloise. Detectives have identified the victim using advanced forensic genetic genealogy, and uncovered the two suspects responsible for the murder, both of whom are dead. On May 17, 1972, Polk deputies responded to a reported body […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":70618,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-68843","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fast-factual-free"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winterhavendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WinterHavenDaily-Trans-1.png?fit=400%2C240&ssl=1","aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t