June 12, 2016

It has been almost 42 years since Joseph Davis was shot and killed while driving a taxicab for the business he also owned, Diamond Cab Company, in Jacksonville, Florida.

On October 2, 1974 around 7:00pm, Davis was dispatched to pick up a fare at a Pizza Hut on Lem Turner Road. By 7:10pm the passenger was picked up and Davis radioed dispatch to let them know that he was on I-95 headed to the southside of Jacksonville. Dispatch was never able to reach him by radio again.

Early the next morning Joseph Davis was found deceased under the Hart Bridge with multiple gunshot wounds. His stolen cab was found abandoned on Old St. Augustine Road.

The friends and family of Joseph Davis have waited far too long for justice. The pain, the wonder, the need for answers does not go away with time, despite what many think. Joseph Roy Davis had many people that cared about him and they still deserve to  know who took him from their lives.

The following news clipping was published in the Naples Daily News on October 4, 1974. “Taxi Operator Slain – JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – The owner-operator of a small taxicab company found shot to death under the approach to the Hart Bridge over the St. Johns River was apparently the victim of a robbery-slaying, police say. Officers said they found the body of Joseph Roy Davis, 40, early Thursday. A taxi Davis had been operating Wednesday night was found abandoned in South Jacksonville, several miles away. A spokesman for Diamond Cab Co. said Davis frequently drove one of the company’s taxis.”

If you have any information, no matter how small, on the 1974 unsolved murder of Joseph Roy Davis, please contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at (904) 630-2172. To remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at (866) 845-TIPS. You may be eligible for a reward of up to $3,000 if your Crime Stoppers tip leads to an arrest in this case.

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If you have a loved one that is the victim of an unsolved homicide please submit their case here for consideration in a future Cold Case Spotlight post.