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Charlie Brandt was born on February 23, 1957, the second child of German immigrants Herbert and Lisa Brandt. The family frequently relocated resulting in Charlie and his older sister Angela attending several different schools. Although regarded as a good student, he was shy and had difficulty adjusting to new surroundings. Herbert Brandt eventually was transferred by his employer, International Harvesters Plant, to Fort Wayne, Indiana where Charlie and his sister would be raised.
On the evening of January 3, 1971 at the age of Thirteen, Charlie abruptly walked into the bathroom while his father was shaving and mother bathing, shooting both at point blank range with a hand gun he took from his father's dresser. His pregnant mother and her baby were killed instantly while his father survived. He attempted to shoot his sister Angela in her room but the gun wouldn't fire.
After a physical struggle, Angela managed to calm Charlie down by promising him she would help him figure out what to do. After convincing him to get blankets from upstairs for their infant sisters, Angela immediately left the home to seek help from neighbors. Charlie pursued his sister, knocking on the neighbors door acknowledging he shot his mom and dad.
Charlie told Angela he couldn't remember what he'd done. Angela claimed her brother was in a trance like state before being broken by their physical struggle. During police interviews, Charlie attributed his actions to a combo of things related to school stating "Everything just sort of snapped in my mind. I felt like I never felt before". He also mentioned an incident that took place a few days before shooting his parents in which his father shot and killed their dog while hunting towards the end of their annual family Christmas vacation in Florida.
Multiple psychiatric evaluations failed to determine what triggered Charlie to shoot his parents. Brandt spent one year at a psychiatric hospital before he was released back into the custody of his family in June 1972, due to being to young under Indiana state law to be tried for murder. The family would never speak of the incident again. Brandts two younger sisters lived under the impression their mother died in a car accident until 2004.
After Charlie's release, his family relocated to Ormond Beach, Florida. His father remarried one year later and moved back to Indiana with his two younger daughters. Charlie and Angela stayed in Florida under the care of their grandparents. Charlie went on to receive a degree in electronics, becoming a Radar Specialist for Ford Aerospace in Astor, Florida. He then married is girlfriend Theresa Helfrich, inviting no relatives to the wedding. Angela and her husband Jim advised Charlie to tell his wife about his mother's murder but whether he did or not remains unknown. They eventually settled in a beach house on Big Pine Key in 1989.
On July 16th 1989, Thirty-eight year old Sherri Perisho's body was discovered floating in the water near North Pine Channel Bridge. Her throat was slashed to the point her head was nearly severed, while her body was severely mutilated and her heart removed. The body was discovered less than a thousand feet from where Brandt lived. A composite sketch of a male seen crossing U.S. Route 1 on the night Perisho was murdered matched Brandt. Brandts wife theresa confided in her brother-in-law that Brandt came home with blood on his shirt that night and suspects he murdered Perisho. Brandt claimed the blood was from fish he fillet'd.
On September 2, 2004, Brandt and Teri evacuated their home to avoid approaching Hurricane Ivan. Their Neice, Michelle Lynn Jones invited both to stay at her home near Orlando. The evening of September 13, Jones friend Lisa Evans was discouraged by Jones from visiting due to the Brandts conflicting with one another after a night of drinking. After this particular evening, Jones unusually stopped answering telephone calls which alarmed her friends and family.
On September 15, Jones friend Debbie knight went to check on her during a phone call with Jones's mother. Knight entered the house through the garage where Brandt's decomposing body was hanging by bedsheets from the rafters. After authorities were contacted, they entered the home finding the bodies of Theresa and Michelle Jones. Theresa was stabbed in the chest seven times while laying on the couch. Michelle Jones was decapitated and disemboweled with her heart and organs being removed. Her head was placed next to her body.
Authorities search Brandt's home in Big Pine Key, discovering an extensive collection of surgery themed books, posters, and clippings. They found Brandt regularly searched autopsy photos and snuff film sites depicting violence against women online. The murder of Michelle Jones indicated Brandt had past experience committing Murder. Since he often traveled for work, police checked on cold cases in Florida for Brandt's possible involvements in any. The investigation uncovered evidence linking Brandt to the 1989 murder of Sherry Perisho near his home. Monroe County investigators determined Brandt killed Perisho, officially closing the case on May 6, 2006.
Conclusion: Brandt's efficiency in killing his wife and niece and his hidden obsession with human anatomy led authorities to investigate the possibility of his involvement in other murders since his move to Florida in 1973. He's suspected to have committed three other murders in Florida but not enough evidence exists to officially link him to those crimes. Authorities believe his true number of victims could potentially exceed more than thirty.
3 Cases of interest:
1.
Carol Sullivan, 12, 1978, abducted from bus stop in Volusa county on September 12, 1978. Her skull was found in a bucket with authorities believing she was decapitated after being murdered. Brandt was 21 at the time and lived in Volusia county but can't be linked to the crime any other way.
2.
Lisa Saunders, 20, 1988, beaten and dragged from her car in Big Pine Key. Her heart was missing but it was unclear if it was extracted by her attacker or eaten by vultures.
3.
Darlene Toler, 38, 1995, sex workers whose body was found missing her head and heart was wrapped in blankets and dumped in a grassy area near a highway. Brandt regularly used the same highway and kept a milage records of his travels which shows an entry for 100 miles, roughly the distance between Big Pine Key and the area in Miami where Tolers body was discovered.
