Investigators Now Believe Missing Molino Man Was Murdered

February 16, 2018

Investigators now say a Molino man that disappeared more than a decade ago is presumed dead, and they are treating his case as homicide.

“I’m not ever going to be finished with this investigation until there is justice”, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Michelle Wert said Thursday. The case has been particularly frustrating for Wert, knowing that she could have arrested at least two people if the statue of limitations in part of the case had not expired, but she’s continuing to work toward homicide arrests. There  is no statute of limitations for homicide.

Timothy Allen Lamb was a developmentally disabled, legally blind and suffered from a heart condition, according to Wert. He lived with his mother until 2003 and then lived with different friends in the Molino area. He did not work and did not drive.

“Taking care of him was like having a third child,” Wert said. “There is no way the he could be out there living on his own.”

Relatives last communicated with Lamb in 2004 due to “very strained family relationships,” she said. In 2016, a relative tried to contact Lamb, but discovered that he was no where to be found and he had not been seen by friends in years. He was last known to be living with a friend off Highway 97 in Molino in 2005. And now the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office believes Lamb was murdered in 2005.

Investigators made the case public in September 2017 in an attempt to obtain more information.

Search warrants were served in 2005 off Highway 97 at the home of Lamb’s friend, but the search did not produce a body, Wert said. Additional search warrants have been executed, and other properties have been searched after owners gave consent.

The statute of limitations passed years ago, but Wert said there was concrete evidence of fraud in the case, along with element of foul play.

“Because of the length of time, parts of the case have been more difficult,” Wert stated. “But if it had not been so long ago, there would have been fraud arrests.”

Wert declined to name the fraud suspects as they are not facing any criminal charges and the related homicide investigation is active and ongoing by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office.

“We are continuing to review information in  this case, and there have been no charges at this time,” State Attorney Bill Eddins said. “We are still gathering evidence.”

Wert is asking anyone that knows anything about Lamb — whether recently or from years ago, the names of his friends or any other information contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.

Comments

3 Responses to “Investigators Now Believe Missing Molino Man Was Murdered”

  1. Melinda Lewis on February 16th, 2018 12:39 pm

    I agree with molinoman. I am tims sister. The murder was confessed to me. But not where the remains were disposed of. The job site of one of the suspects would have been a good place to get rid of the body. I wish they would search the place. But no worries. Justice will eventually be served. I will not stop as long as i am breathing. Bet on that.

  2. Chris Saul on February 16th, 2018 12:11 pm

    There should not be a statute of limitations on anything that had to do with a murder. This man was a friend of mine in high school and it is sad to think that he was murdered, he was a good soul. He may have had his troubles but that did not stop him from being a good person.

  3. molinoman on February 16th, 2018 7:03 am

    I went to school with Tim and one of those he lived with. If searching the properties netted nothing I’d suggest searching job sites. Real easy to dispose of skeletal remains at one location. Search warrants are hard to obtain on hunches.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News