Deep Secret | Full Episode

When Jeff Clee disappeared in 1977, police dismissed his mother's concerns, classifying him as a runaway because he was 18. This lack of serious investigation meant the case went cold, leaving his family to search for decades.

Flossie Clee reported her son missing but was told by police, 'he's 18 and we can't really do anything. You just sort of have to wait and he'll come up.' Detective Bob Vernon later found the case file to be 'basically an empty folder.'

An inmate, Scott Rango, serving a life sentence for murder, reached out to Jeff's sister, Laurel, years after Jeff's disappearance. Rango, who worked near the Crown Lounge in 1977, became the primary suspect for Detective Vernon, who believed Rango killed Jeff and took his van to New York. However, Rango died by suicide, leaving the theory unconfirmed.

Laurel Clee received a letter from Attica State Prison from Scott Rango. Rango was a violent criminal who worked across the street from the Crown Lounge in 1977. Detective Vernon concluded Rango was responsible, stating, 'In my mind, yes, it was [closed].'

In 2008, 31 years after his disappearance, Jeff Clee's van and skeletal remains were found submerged in the C-14 canal during a dredging operation. The van was found in neutral, suggesting it was pushed, not driven, into the water. This discovery provided the first concrete evidence of Jeff's fate.

Detective Dave Weisman reviewed the case in March 2008 when colleagues dredged the C-14 canal. They found 'remnants of a black van' and 'Jeff Klee's bones.' The van was found in neutral, raising suspicions it was pushed.

Coinciding with the van's discovery, Dana Holmes came forward to police in 2008, recalling a conversation from 2000 where a man named Dave confessed to accidentally killing his best friend over a girl. She later identified this man as David Cusenelli, Jeff's best friend.

Dana Holmes reported an event from 2000 where a man named Dave 'started crying and he explained that he killed his best friend... but it was an accident.' She identified David Cusenelli from a photo lineup.

David Cusenelli initially maintained his original story but eventually admitted to arguing with Jeff about Jeff's girlfriend, Jenny, with whom David had slept. His brother, Carl, confessed to helping David push the van into the canal, though he denied seeing Jeff's body. David later vaguely described Jeff hitting his head on a rock during a chase.

David admitted to detectives that Jeff was upset because he found out Jenny and David 'slept together.' Carl stated, 'I must have helped him dispose of the vehicle. I helped him push it in.' David later suggested Jeff 'tripped, fell, and hit his head' during a chase around the van.

Despite the confessions and evidence, no charges were filed against David or Carl Cusenelli. The 1977 Florida law had a 3-year statute of limitations for manslaughter and other lesser charges like concealing a body, which had long expired by 2008. Homicide charges couldn't be proven due to the inability to determine the exact cause of death from Jeff's skeletal remains.

Assistant State's Attorney Sherry Tate Jenkins stated, 'No charges are pending against them.' She explained, 'You have to apply the law that existed in 1977,' which included a '3-year statute of limitations on manslaughter.' Jeff's skeletal remains 'reveal nothing' about the cause of death.