Left: Fleming, circa 1977; Age-progressed photos by NCMEC at age 44 (circa 2007); age 49 (circa 2012); age 56 (circa 2019)
Left: Fleming, circa 1977; Age-progressed photos by NCMEC at age 44 (circa 2007); age 49 (circa 2012); age 56 (circa 2019)
Name: Keith Dean Fleming
Case Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Missing Since: April 28, 1977
Location Last Seen: Cocoa Beach, Brevard Country, Florida
Date of Birth: September 18, 1963
Age: 13 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 110 lbs
Hair Color: Blond/strawberry (straight and shoulder length)
Eye Color: Brown
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: He had a partial plate for his upper front teeth. He has had a broken left leg
Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Not available
DNA: Available
Clothing: Green t-shirt that had "Thirsty Turtle" on it, blue jeans, and flip flops
Jewelry: Gold chain with an Italian horn
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Fleming was last seen walking back to his family's home from a friend's house in Cocoa Beach, Florida on April 28, 1977. He was supposed to be back for dinner, but never came back. He was going to hitchhike home.
He loved to hang out by the Cocoa Beach Pier. He surfed and had long blond hair that had been trimmed shortly before his disappearance. His two front teeth had been lost in an accident, so he wore a partial plate.
A man who is serving a life sentence in Michigan for the murder of a 15-year-old boy, is considered a possible suspect in Fleming's case. The suspect murdered an 8-year-old Michigan boy in the 1950s. He served twenty years in prison for the crime. From 1976 to 1980, he worked as a guard at the Brevard Correctional Institution in Florida; the institution houses mostly teenagers. While the suspect was working there, five local boys disappeared. One of them was a 19-year-old inmate, Charles Collingwood , who disappeared shortly after allegations were made that he had an inappropriate relationship with the suspect. He is also considered a suspect in the 1979 disappearance of 12-year-old Kipling Hess . Neither Hess nor Collingwood were ever found. Police say Fleming's disappearance fits the profile of the suspects crimes, and the suspect himself admitted that he liked to watch young boys surf at Cocoa Beach, which is something Fleming frequently did. He maintains his innocence in all of the Florida cases.
Agency Name: Cocoa Beach Police Department
Agency Contact Person: Detective Sergeant Thomas Cooper
Agency Phone Number: 321-868-3251
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 77099132
NamUs Case Number: #MP6062
NCIC Case Number: M-080547943
NCMEC Case Number: 601296
NamUs
NCMEC
Florida Today
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Florida Missing Children Information Clearinghouse
Added: Prior to 2012; Last Updated: 10/10/2022 - By: kc
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
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