Press Releases

Cold Case: Pilar Rodriguez
Dec. 12, 2009

After more than a decade of looking for a little girl who went missing in 1999, detectives have new information which lead them to believe that Pilar Rodriguez was murdered. But old acquaintances of a Punta Gorda man may be able to help.

She was a vibrant little girl, just days from celebrating her 4th birthday. But shortly after arriving in Punta Gorda on a trip with her babysitter, Pilar Rodriguez disappeared – never to be seen alive again.

“This is a travesty that needs to be addressed. We need to find her, we need to recover her, and we need to find the person or persons responsible for her death – and we need to seek justice for them," said Det. Kurt Mehl of the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.

In January 1999, Rodriguez took a bus trip with her babysitter Melissa Cooper from the East Coast to Punta Gorda – to visit with her boyfriend, Keith Wilson. Wilson had rented a room at the Trail Apartments, just off US 41, which that was the last place Pilar was seen alive.

But then a decade later, the Charlotte Sheriff’s Office’s cold case unit came across some new information – and Pilar’s case took a turn – as they discovered that the little girl they’ve searched for over the span of 10 years had indeed been murdered.

Pilar Rodriguez’s case has gone from a missing persons cold case to an active homicide investigation. Recently, police scoured this area in Punta Gorda, and they think that someone who’s still in this vicinity may have information that can bring justice for Pilar.

In November, county, state and federal investigators searched property that once belonged to a member of Keith Wilson’s family. Cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar was used, as investigators painstakingly worked in hopes of finding evidence to further their case.

And even though her body wasn’t found, detectives did recover certain items which bring them one step closer to changing this one time cold case to a closed case.

“We have narrowed our focus to Melissa Cooper and her boyfriend Keith Wilson," Mehl said.

Just as quickly as Pilar disappeared, so did Keith Wilson – who made a relatively quick exit from Punta Gorda to Kentucky, leaving behind a trail of questions and uncertainty. Detectives say they’d like to talk to anyone who knew Wilson back in the day, to help put in place the final pieces of a puzzle they’ve been working on for more than a decade.

“This is not something that is just going to go away. This is not a pattern of behavior that is a one time thing," Mehl said.

Anyone with information on Keith Wilson, Melissa Cooper or the murder of Pilar Rodriguez is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477). All callers will remain anonymous and will be eligible for up to $1,000 in cash rewards.