Orlando Sentinel

Hundreds of Crimeline tips in the search for accused cop killer Markeith Loyd are coming in, but so far none has led to Loyd’s capture and arrest

- By David Harris

|

The Crimeline tips in the search for accused cop killer Markeith Loyd continue to roll in, totaling about 600 as of Wednesday.

But so far none has led to the arrest of Loyd, 41, who is accused of killing veteran Orlando Police Master Sgt. Debra Clayton on Monday when she confronted him outside a Wal-Mart at John Young Parkway and Princeton Street.

“There may be that one call that’s going to come in and allows police to go arrest Markeith Loyd,” said Barb Bergin, Central Florida Crimeline executive director. “Markeith Loyd needs to be stopped before he hurts anyone else.”

There is a $100,000 reward for the capture of Loyd, the highest since 24-year-old Jennifer Kesse’s highprofil­e disappeara­nce in January 2006. The reward for the Orlando woman’s safe return was increased to $1 million, but it expired after a year. She was never found.

Bergin said the reward in Loyd’s case was donated by private citizens and organizati­ons. She would not say who they were or how many gave money.

“No one life is worth more than any other, but it just so happens we have third parties donating for this case,” she said.

The key to Crimeline, which is a nonprofit, is that tipsters can remain anonymous, Bergin said.

“There are people that don’t want be part of the justice system; they don’t want to face retributio­n or deal with the media,” she said.

Usually, calls to Crimeline after business hours go to a call center in Canada. But Bergin is trying to have her five-person staff based at the Orlando Police Department headquarte­rs answer most tips while Loyd is on the loose.

The last time an Orlando police officer was killed, in 2007, Crimeline proved key in helping law officers make two arrests.

Officer Alfred L. Gordon Sr., 52, who was off duty, was fatally shot during an attempted robbery near an ATM at Silver Star and Hiawassee roads.

It was two tips that came into Crimeline that broke the case. One came from someone saying the suspects were trying to sell the gun used to kill Gordon for $200. The other revealed the location of the trash can where the gun was discarded.

Usually, Crimeline receives less than 1,000 tips in one month. It received nearly 11,000 tips last year and paid out $168,000 in rewards.

Tips last year helped lead to 541 arrests, solve nearly 700 cases and lead to $4.8 million in drugs seizures, according to Crimeline.

The Crimeline board of directors decides who gets the money. Multiple tipsters can be paid because sometimes it takes several to crack the case, Bergin said.

“Sometimes [the tip is] just a small piece of the puzzle,” she said. “It’s not the thing that leads to an arrest, it’s just that one piece of the puzzle.”

Anyone with informatio­n on Loyd can call Crimeline at 800-423-8477.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States