JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It has been more than 18 years since Mary Francis Hill was found dead in her Riverview home, and JSO is hoping to unlock this cold case.
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Action News Jax Shanila Kabir spoke to the victim’s family who said they still know very little about Mary’s death.
Temisha Hill, Mary Hill’s daughter, remembers her mother as being kind, generous, and very welcoming. She said she has a large family because her mother was the godmother to so many.
“I was 21 years old and was responsible for emptying out her rental property within 30 days of her passing,” said Hill. “I was responsible for making sure my mom totally disappeared.”
Temisha says that without knowing what caused someone to kill her mother and knowing that there is no one in jail for the crime, she can’t cope or heal.
“Regardless of my mom’s struggles, she gave, loved, and she was present and fought for us.”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office went to Mary Francis Hill’s Riverview home in June of 2006.
Temisha Hill said it was her sister who found their mother in her room, beaten to death.
“My sister was 20 years old and being questioned for hours as if she was the perpetrator, while she’s the one who called the police,” said Temisha Hill.
Officers confirm 45-year-old Mary Hill had a drug addiction which could be a connection to what led to her death. Officers described a possible suspect as a young black man at that time with dreadlocks.
Temisha Hill said that is new information to her family, however, she said it makes sense because she did not know who her mother was affiliated with at that time.
She said one of the biggest struggles was to learn how to be a mother without her own.
“20 years later, we are still figuring things out. We’re still figuring out how to live without her guidance and support.”
Mary Francis Hill’s case is one of 12 cold cases JSO has highlighted since November 2023.
If you have any information on this case, you are encouraged to call JSO.
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