A team from the Peace River K9 Search & Rescue (PRSAR) scoured Brooksville’s Russell Street Park last month in hopes of discovering new information about a 2019 cold missing person’s case but came up empty according to crime victims’ advocate Terry Lambert.
In February 2019, the then 27-year-old Keyonna Cole was reported missing by her family just months after she was allegedly beaten by her boyfriend Dwayne Williams. She miscarried the child she was carrying as a result of the beating.
Williams was arrested and charged with attempted murder for the assault on Cole and with 2nd-degree murder in connection with the death of the baby.
Cole went missing one day before she was slated to provide a deposition for the State’s Attorney’s office in Hernando County. The charges against Williams were dropped because Cole failed to appear.
No trace of her was ever found.
On Jan. 20, the PRSAR used cadaver dogs and other techniques to search Russell Park but found nothing.
“Her family always wanted the search,” Lambert said. “But they found that (her remains) were not there or that they were buried in such a way that they would not be found such as in a freezer.”
Even so, Cole’s case remains open, said Michael Terry, deputy public information officer (PIO) for the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO).
“She is still listed as a missing person,” Terry said. “We do believe there are people out there who know what happened.”
Cole’s alleged assailant Dwayne Williams is also still “around, last I heard,” Terry said.
Because the case remains an open missing person’s investigation, tipsters sometimes continue to contact HCSO.
“We do get tips every once in a while and we follow up on them,” Terry said.
Anyone with information about the case should contact Crimestoppers, he said.
Crimestoppers tipsters remain anonymous and are eligible for a reward of up to $5,000 for the arrest and conviction of a suspect connected to the case.
