What happened to Brian Klecha? Florida investigators need tips to solve Lakeland veteran’s cold case
TAMPA, Fla. - It's now been six years since Lakeland Air Force veteran and Disney bus driver 35-year-old Brian Klecha vanished. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is hoping this week's anniversary will generate new tips in the cold case.
Detectives believe Klecha may have been the victim of domestic abuse or drug abuse and believe someone was involved in his disappearance.
"The challenge for us has been that we know someone out there knows something," FDLE Tampa Bay Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell said.
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Klecha was last seen back on December 27, 2017, withdrawing $200 from a Mid-Florida Credit Union in Auburndale. Ten days before he went missing, FDLE said his boyfriend at the time, who is a person-of-interest in his disappearance, invited him to move into a home in Lakeland owned by Andrew Dowler.
"I had a home where I always had a third bedroom and was always letting people, helping people out, and he was a referral," Dowler said.
Two months after Klecha vanished, his car was found abandoned on the Selmon Expressway near the Morgan Street exit in Tampa. Investigators said it had been in an accident a few days prior and that Klecha’s boyfriend had been driving it.
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Pictured: Brian Klecha's car.
FOX 13 asked Brutnell if FDLE believes Klecha's boyfriend, who was driving his car, had anything to do with his disappearance. Brutnell said, "I can’t say for sure if we do or don’t. That’s the quandary we are in."
One day after he made the bank transaction, Dowler said he received an email from Klecha’s email address saying, "at the moment I might not be at my best," going on to say he looked forward to "having a great working relationship and friendship."
"When I last talked to him, he was extremely depressed. He was going through a relationship that was not going well. It was a very toxic relationship," Dowler said.
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Brutnell isn’t convinced that the email was actually sent by Klecha.
"We’ve shared it with Brian’s mom. She believes Brian didn’t write that either. We can’t definitely say he did or didn’t," Brutnell said.
Brutnell said the Lakeland home where Klecha moved in was frequented by drug dealers. Despite all the information and tips, it still leaves investigators with many questions they hope the public can help them answer.
"It is frustrating, because I do believe, I firmly believe, somebody knows something," Brutnell said.
Anyone with any information that might help investigators figure out what happened to Brian Klecha is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 800-873-TIPS (8477). A $10,000 reward is being offered for any information that leads to an arrest.