COULD YOU RELIGHT A COLD CASE?
Several Plant City women have disappeared since 2012, and remain missing. These cold cases still go unsolved. Could revisiting them heat up something?
Emily Holland
On June 14, 2015, Emily went for a walk, and none of her family or friends saw her again. Emily grew up, and lived with her grandparents, in Plant City. She regularly traveled between Clearwater and Plant City to visit her boyfriend. Reports indicate she left 1121 Druid Road in Clearwater at about noon to take a walk. She was wearing a white t-shirt and black shorts, and did not have a cell phone or wallet with her. The 18-year-old sometimes used her mother’s last name, Newman. Since she was last seen in Clearwater, the investigation fell to the Clearwater Police Department. If you have any information, you can contact the Department at (727) 562-4242. Clearwater police did not respond to a request for updates or comments.
Doris “Pat” Carter
The case became national news when a group of Canadians found a severed leg washed up in an inlet in St. Petersburg. The leg had been cleanly cut at both the ankle, and above the knee—which is clear evidence of dismemberment.
This is the sequence of notable events surrounding the case:
• On December 15, a judge ordered eviction from Pat’s home of Pat’s daughter and her husband.
• Pat, a 62-year-old, who lived in Plant City, was last seen on December 16, 2011—according to her daughter. Pat was said to be with Kelly Moriarity, 39, in a car given to Kelly by Pat. According to Kelly’s family, the two had been partners for two years.
• On December 20, a Manatee County Deputy Sheriff found Kelly’s car abandoned on Route 62 in Parrish, and tagged it for the owner to remove it.
• On December 27, a severed leg washed ashore in St. Petersburg.
• The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office impounded Kelly’s abandoned car. The car had no mechanical problems.
• On January 27, Kelly’s brother checked on her welfare, and found her apartment with a Christmas tree still set up, and unwrapped Christmas packages. He reported her missing.
• After a visit from law enforcement on January 28, Pat’s daughter reported her mother missing on January 29. Detectives searched Moriarity’s car, but discovered no evidence of a crime.
• On March 23, a Medical Examiner’s Office notified police that based on DNA evidence, the severed leg found in December belonged to Kelly Moriarty.
During the course of the investigation, it came to light that Pat and Kelly had fought in the past, and had filed restraining orders against each other. The rest of Kelly’s remains were never found, no evidence about Pat was ever found. There are no records the investigation progressed any further.
Cieha Taylor
Cieha, 28, worked at a call center in Plant City. According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), at approximately 4 p.m. on February 6, 2020, she dropped off her boyfriend at his house on Cowart Road—which was near the call center. Around 7 p.m. Cieha’s black 2000 Toyota Solaris was discovered on railroad tracks on East Trapnell Road, just west of Jap Tucker Road. Though the engine was running, Cieha, nor anyone else, was in, or around, the car. Her debit card, cell phone, and other personal effects were left in the car. Her sister-in-law said that Cieha was continually on her phone, and would not leave without it.
HCSO took over the missing person investigation. According to the press release, Cieha had spoken suicidal statements in her past. Deputies questioned the boyfriend, but they never uncovered any good leads in the case.
The family searched the area near where the car was found for weeks, but found no trace of the young woman. However, about three weeks later, they did find a pair of Cieha’s shoes sitting on a road drainage pipe near where the car had been abandoned. According to Cieha’s sister, there was no way the searchers could have missed the shoes, since a missing person flier had been attached to a pole next to the shoes, and they were in a clearly visible spot.
At the time of her disappearance, Cieha was 5’6’, 170 pounds, with auburn/red shoulder-length hair. She was last seen wearing a red, white, blue, and gray striped dress, and may have also been wearing a pink sweater.
Amanda Granit, Chief Communications Officer for the HCSO Public Affairs Office, responded to a Plant City Observer request for updates on the status of these three cases.
“Thank you so much for continuing to shine a light on these cases. We would continue to ask anyone who knows or saw anything the night of their disappearances to reach out to the Hillsborough County Public Affairs Office. They can call HCSO at 813-247-8200, or to leave an anonymous tip, they can call Crimestoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS. No piece of information is too small regarding our determination to close these cases, and bring answers to their loved ones. I know our detectives regularly talk to the families of these women, keeping them updated.”
“Regarding the investigations, there are no public updates to share.”
