A 28-year-old man has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the case of a pregnant teenager who disappeared four years ago.

  • Jacobee Flowers indicted for 1st-degree murder
  • Teen was pregnant at time of her disappearance
  • Family says Flowers was the father

At a news conference, St. Petersburg Police announced the indictment of Jacobee Flowers on Monday.

“This morning the detectives from the cold case unit went to Avon Park Correctional Institute and told Flowers of the indictment. Flowers had no reaction and did not want to speak to the detectives," Police Chief Anthony Holloway said.

Morgan Martin was almost four months' pregnant with a baby girl when she disappeared shortly after midnight July 25, 2012.

The 17-year-old told family members she was going outside to meet her baby's father, known to them as Flowers. Martin never returned. Martin's mother reported her missing the next day.

The initial 2012 investigation led detectives to Flowers, but Flowers denied knowledge of Martin's whereabouts, minimized his relationship with her and denied fathering the unborn child. The case grew cold.

But police say Flowers lied.

“He knew that she was pregnant, and that’s all I can say at this time,” Holloway said.

In March 2015, St. Pete Police's newly formed cold case unit picked up the case. Detectives re-examined evidence, reinterviewed witnesses, collected new evidence and sought out experts from throughout Florida and to Alabama. The FBI and several other agencies joined in the investigation.

Police say Flowers planned Martin's murder and disposed of her body, which has not been found.

“Our investigation will show that Jacobee Flowers planned Morgan’s murder," Holloway said. "He duped her into coming out to meet him. He killed her and then he dumped her body.”

Police say they are committed to finding Martin's body so her family can have a proper funeral for her and her unborn baby.

“We will not rest until we have exhausted every effort to locate Morgan’s body,” Holloway said.

Flowers is in custody of the Department of Corrections at Avon Park after being sentenced for unrelated felony traffic charges. He will be taken upon completion of his current sentence — sometime in July, to the Pinellas County Jail — to face the murder charge.

“I want to thank everybody for helping us get to this point,” Martin's mom, Leah, said Monday. “All these wonderful people to help my Morgan and they didn’t even know her.”

“Detectives know there’s still other people out there that could give us more information on this case, and we ask you to come forward so we can help bring closure to the family,” Holloway said.

“It’s good the part of getting somebody for a little closure, but the bad part is, she won’t be coming home,” Leah Martin said.

If you have any information about the case, contact St. Petersburg Police at 727-893-7780.