1970s prison inmate, DNA help crack Polk County cold case murder after 52 years
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ELOISE, Fla. - Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says his agency now knows the identity of a man found dead in an Eloise field in 1972 and who likely killed him.
On May 17, 1972, an angler reportedly found a dead body in a field just to the south of the canal between Lake Lulu and Lake Ship, and southeast of the US 17 overpass from Eloise to Winter Haven.
Deputies say the remains, which were in advanced stages of decomposition, were of a white man believed to be in his 40s or 50s.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, there was no wallet or identification on the body and there were two small caliber gunshot wounds on the left side of the head and 1 exit wound on the right side of the head.
Detectives say that initially there were no leads or witnesses, and the body was buried in a pauper’s grave in Lakeside Memorial Cemetery in Winter Haven.
Break in the case?
In 1974, Charles Williams, an inmate in the Florida state prison system, claimed Clarence Ingram, a fellow prisoner, told him he and a man named Edgar Todd met the victim at a Winter Haven bar.
Ingram allegedly told Williams that the trio left the bar in the victim’s vehicle, and they got into an argument.
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During the argument, Williams said that Ingram told him he handed Todd a 22-caliber pistol and Todd shot the victim twice in the head.
"The victim made them mad," Judd said. "Clarence Ingram handed Todd a gun and said, 'shoot him.' So Clarence Ingram's in prison telling this to our witness."
According to Williams, after the shooting, the pair drove the victim down the road, near an overpass in the Winter Haven/ Eloise area. After removing the victim’s wallet and rings, they left him by a canal ‘so the turtles would eat him.’
Williams said Ingram claimed that the victim had between $1,000 - $1,500 worth of tools in his car, which they sold to his brother, Johnny Ingram.
They then took the victim’s car, which had a Georgia license plate, to Michigan and sold it for $500, according to Williams.
In 1974, detectives contacted authorities in Georgia to get information about 1972 missing persons cases. Georgia officials told detectives that a man named Lewis House disappeared in 1972 after he left the state bound for Florida.
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PCSO says detectives followed up but with no other leads the case went cold, and they could not prove or disprove that the victim was House.
"Charles WIlliams who came forward to tell us this information about 1974 was accurate with everything, but there wasn't enough put together in 1974 to charge either of them, so the case languished," Judd said.
Victim's body exhumed for DNA testing
In February 2017, the victim’s body was exhumed, so DNA could be taken from it.
The DNA was sent to the University of North Texas. With the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, family reference samples were collected from Lewis House’s family members.
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Testing revealed that the victim was not Lewis House and the victim’s DNA was entered into the national CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) database and there were no matching profiles.
In November 2023, a part of the victim’s femur bone was sent to a private lab specializing in forensic genetic genealogy in cold case investigations, for genealogical testing and examination.
Victim identified
In April 2024, the lab, Othram Inc., sent detectives a report that the victim could be Mack Lavell Proctor.
Investigators contacted Mack Proctor’s son, Wright Proctor, and learned that Mack Proctor was last seen by family between 1969 and 1972 in Georgia, but he was never reported missing to law enforcement.
On May 5, 2023, detectives received a report from Othram that indicated that Wright Proctor was the biological son of Mack Lavell Proctor, indicating that Mack Lavell Proctor was the homicide victim. Mack Proctor’s family said he was a master mechanic who would have had his tools in his vehicle.
"His son really didn't really know him very well, but they always wondered what happened to him, because he just disappeared off the face of the earth," Judd said. "Now, we know and they were pleased to have that chapter of their family history brought to a close."
As a part of the cold case unit’s investigation, detectives learned that suspect Edgar Todd died in 2015. Suspect Clarence Wallace Ingram died in 1995. Clarence’s brother, Johnny Lee Ingram, to whom they reportedly sold the tools to, died in 2003.
Cold case cracked
Detectives say Clarence Ingram’s criminal history included a traffic citation in Michigan on May 25, 1972, eight days after the body was found in Polk County, giving credit to what Williams had said.
Clarence Ingram was charged with homicide in Lake County in April 1973 and later convicted. During this incident, he shot that victim with a 25 caliber handgun, in the back, three times.
Mack Proctor's family told detectives he was known to carry a 25 caliber handgun. Polk detectives tried to trace the firearm, but the serial number of the gun did not reveal any history.
"We are extremely grateful for the assistance from Othram, Inc., who provided us with investigative leads that ultimately led to our ability to positively identify Mack Proctor as the unknown 1972 homicide victim," stated Judd. "Through that information, and the information provided to us by Charles Williams in 1974, we were able to piece together circumstantial evidence that strongly points to his killers: Edgar Todd and Clarence Ingram. They are dead, and unfortunately, we cannot hold them accountable for the cold-blooded killing and robbery of Mr. Proctor. However, we have provided some closure to Mr. Proctor’s family and concluded a cold case homicide investigation. I am so thankful to our outstanding team of detectives who worked hard to solve this case, especially our lead detective, Master Deputy Jason McPherson."
Cold case timeline
May 17, 1972: the body of a "John Doe" homicide victim discovered in Eloise
May 25, 1972: Clarence Ingram was stopped by police in Paw Paw, Michigan and received a criminal traffic citation (eight days after the body was found in Eloise) and 20 miles away from where an informant told detectives Ingram sold the murder victim’s car.
April 21, 1973: Clarence Ingram charged with a homicide in Lake County and was later convicted.
Nov. 1973: Charles Williams and Clarence Ingram were confirmed to be in Raiford Prison (Union Correctional Facility in Raiford, Florida) at the same time.
Jan. 14, 1974: Informant Charles Williams told investigators that Clarence Ingram and Edgar Todd murdered a man in Winter Haven in 1972 and dumped his body near a canal and overpass.
1995: Clarence Ingram died.
2003: Jonny Lee Ingram died.
2015: Edgar Todd died.
Feb. 10, 2017: "John Doe" body exhumed, DNA extracted. Detectives confirmed "John Doe" was not Lewis House. "John Doe’s" DNA does not match any other profile in CODIS.
Nov. 15, 2023 – Detectives submitted a section of the victim’s femur bone to Othram, Inc., for genealogical testing and examination.
April 1, 2024 – Othram submitted a report indicating the victim could possibly be Mack Lavell Proctor.
April 17, 2024 – Detectives made contact with Wright Proctor, son of Mack Proctor, in Ellijay, Georgia.
May 3, 2024 – received a report from Othram indicating that Wright Proctor is the biological son of Mack Lavell Proctor, indicating that Mack Lavell Proctor is the 1972 victim, "John Doe."
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