Investigators hope new composite leads to victim's identity in 'hog trail murders'

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NORTH PORT, Fla. - The discovery of five bodies found scattered in desolate areas of Port Charlotte and North Port shook the coastal communities from 1994 to 1996. The victims were male, between 20 and 35 years old, and homeless when they died.

Through a web of tips and evidence, detectives were able to identify one of the victims and then connect the dots leading to the killer. However, 15 years later, there are still many unanswered questions in this case and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office hopes the public can help.

Hunters in a wooded area of Port Charlotte found the first body in 1994. The body was unclothed and there was nothing to help identify the man or how he died.

During his autopsy, the medical examiner found a surgical rod in the victim’s ankle. Investigators hoped the rod’s serial number would lead them to a name, but the serial number was only linked to certain hospitals and after an extensive patient search, detectives came up empty.

Two years later, a dog discovered a skull in North Port. As officers searched the nearby woods, they found the body as well as the remains of another victim.

And not long after, a public works employee found another skull in Port Charlotte, leading to the body and the remains of yet another victim.

All of the victims had similar characteristics as the first victim found by hunters in Port Charlotte two years earlier.

Investigators were now investigating three crime scenes, five bodies, and a possible serial killer.

Through autopsy and investigation, the last victim found was the first identified: 21-year-old Richard Montgomery.

As news of the murders spread, tips began coming in. One tipster said a man once offered to pay him to go into the woods and pose nude. He agreed but as they drove into the woods, the man’s vehicle became stuck. The tipster steered the vehicle as the two men tried to free it. That’s when he noticed a tarp, rope, and knife in the back seat. Realizing he was in danger, he hit the gas and took off.

Investigators then realized that vehicle was reported stolen by Daniel Conahan, Jr.

Daniel O. Conahan, Jr.

While police tracked Conahan, an inmate in an Ohio prison reported his own run-in with a similar subject. The inmate said he was able to escape, despite being tied up by the suspect.

After searches and analysis of the evidence, detectives were able to connect Conahan to the fifth victim, Richard Montgomery. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1997. Conahan remains on death row.

Investigators hope they can identify the victim who was first found by hunters in Port Charlotte in 1994. After he was found, a clay model was made to show how the man may have looked.