Families visit Santa’s Village in Port Charlotte for ChristmasCape Coral Animal Shelter volunteers distribute gifts to cats and dogs
PORT CHARLOTTE Families visit Santa’s Village in Port Charlotte for Christmas The holiday magic is in full swing at Santa’s Village. There are holiday lights, food, and plenty of families making some holiday memories
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Animal Shelter volunteers distribute gifts to cats and dogs Christmas is meant to be merry, but for dogs and cats waiting for their forever homes it can be anything but.
NAPLES Dozens volunteer to feed over 500 people at St. Matthew’s House The St. Matthews House fed nearly 500 people hot and traditional holiday meals at their Naples shelter on Wednesday.
CAPE CORAL Project Siren; Cape Coral chaplain praying for first responders The sound of sirens, life and death hang in the balance. A cape coral chaplain bows his head and says a prayer.
FORT MYERS Residents celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas on the same day Hanukkah begins Wednesday with the lighting of the first candle. Each night, another candle will be lit until all eight shine bright.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood residents still recovering from hurricanes on Christmas Neighbors on Lemon Bay Drive in Englewood said their homes had never seen a drop of a water from a hurricane until 2024.
FORT MYERS Dr. Piper Center hosts annual Christmas Celebration Dozens of children are enjoying new bicycles on Christmas day thanks to the generosity of the Dr. Piper Center.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for December 25, 2024 This weekly Most Wanted Wednesday WINK News segment features fugitives from justice in Southwest Florida.
Spending the holidays with first responders For most of us, Christmas is about spending time with family, but one group is making sure our families are staying safe.
More clouds and a few showers for your Christmas Day plans The Weather Authority is tracking more clouds on Christmas day than we saw on Christmas Eve and the chance for a few showers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Adoptive family spends first Christmas together Family come in all shapes and sizes but all share one common thing, their love for each other. One southwest Florida woman couldn’t have kids, so she built her family through adoption and fostering.
PUNTA GORDA Man accused of shooting man at Punta Gorda motel A man has been arrested after allegedly shooting another man during a physical dispute at a Punta Gorda motel.
What’s open and closed on Christmas Day in SWFL On Christmas Day, many businesses and services are closed, including most retail stores, offices, and government buildings.
NAPLES Celebrating Christmas Eve with the Magic of Lights Across southwest Florida, people have been feeling the Christmas spirit. In Collier County, families at the Magic of Lights experience counted down the minutes to Santa’s arrival in awe of the spectacular display.
FORT MYERS BEACH Beachgoers enjoy Fort Myers Beach on Christmas Eve Whether you’re a full-time Floridian, a snowbird or just vacationing here for Christmas, it was a great day to go to the beach.
PORT CHARLOTTE Families visit Santa’s Village in Port Charlotte for Christmas The holiday magic is in full swing at Santa’s Village. There are holiday lights, food, and plenty of families making some holiday memories
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral Animal Shelter volunteers distribute gifts to cats and dogs Christmas is meant to be merry, but for dogs and cats waiting for their forever homes it can be anything but.
NAPLES Dozens volunteer to feed over 500 people at St. Matthew’s House The St. Matthews House fed nearly 500 people hot and traditional holiday meals at their Naples shelter on Wednesday.
CAPE CORAL Project Siren; Cape Coral chaplain praying for first responders The sound of sirens, life and death hang in the balance. A cape coral chaplain bows his head and says a prayer.
FORT MYERS Residents celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas on the same day Hanukkah begins Wednesday with the lighting of the first candle. Each night, another candle will be lit until all eight shine bright.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood residents still recovering from hurricanes on Christmas Neighbors on Lemon Bay Drive in Englewood said their homes had never seen a drop of a water from a hurricane until 2024.
FORT MYERS Dr. Piper Center hosts annual Christmas Celebration Dozens of children are enjoying new bicycles on Christmas day thanks to the generosity of the Dr. Piper Center.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for December 25, 2024 This weekly Most Wanted Wednesday WINK News segment features fugitives from justice in Southwest Florida.
Spending the holidays with first responders For most of us, Christmas is about spending time with family, but one group is making sure our families are staying safe.
More clouds and a few showers for your Christmas Day plans The Weather Authority is tracking more clouds on Christmas day than we saw on Christmas Eve and the chance for a few showers.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Adoptive family spends first Christmas together Family come in all shapes and sizes but all share one common thing, their love for each other. One southwest Florida woman couldn’t have kids, so she built her family through adoption and fostering.
PUNTA GORDA Man accused of shooting man at Punta Gorda motel A man has been arrested after allegedly shooting another man during a physical dispute at a Punta Gorda motel.
What’s open and closed on Christmas Day in SWFL On Christmas Day, many businesses and services are closed, including most retail stores, offices, and government buildings.
NAPLES Celebrating Christmas Eve with the Magic of Lights Across southwest Florida, people have been feeling the Christmas spirit. In Collier County, families at the Magic of Lights experience counted down the minutes to Santa’s arrival in awe of the spectacular display.
FORT MYERS BEACH Beachgoers enjoy Fort Myers Beach on Christmas Eve Whether you’re a full-time Floridian, a snowbird or just vacationing here for Christmas, it was a great day to go to the beach.
Authorities are searching for information on the 1971 homicide of John Deal in Port Charlotte. He was killed on Harbor Boulevard. (CREDIT: WINK News) There is a renewed push to solve a 51-year-old homicide case, the oldest on record, in Charlotte County. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office is looking for information involving the murder of John Deal. Deal, 71, was shot and killed in 1971 on Harbor Boulevard in Port Charlotte but his body was never found. Back when the crime occurred, detectives could not confirm who the victim was but now there is DNA testing. Also a challenge was the rarity of prosecuting a case without a body. But improving technology now proves he died and was shot in the head. The evidence they did have included broken eyeglasses, a bank notice made out to Betty Faber, a 22-caliber shell casing and blood. “Sometimes time is an enemy. And sometimes it’s a friend,” said Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Det. Mike Gandy. “The DNA technology is improved so much. And remember, back during that time, it was pretty rare to see a case prosecuted where no body was present.” New technology has allowed the department to do additional testing, said Mike Vogel, with the Major Crimes Cold Case Homicide Unit. Faber was 27 years old at the time of Deal’s death. When detectives talked to her, she was driving Deal’s car. Those detectives found holes and blood in the trunk. Their relationship? “He was older, she was younger, and she lived in his place, and he provided her with a lot of money. So I’ll leave that to you,” said Det. Kurt Mehl, with the cold case unit. Faber worked for a fish company. She exclaimed the blood away at the time, claiming it was from fish and shrimp. But more than 50 years later, detectives confirmed the blood belonged to Deal, thanks to a DNA sample from his nephew. “We sent it off to the lab and along with the blood that had been collected from the roadway and the blood from the trunk. And they were able to determine that Mr. Deal’s nephew and the blood that was located on the roadway, they were in fact male relatives,” Vogel said. “We intend to keep working on this case until we can get it solved. If that can happen. And I feel reasonably confident that there’s a good possibility we can do that,” Gandy added. Authorities now want to speak with Fabor and almost 20 others who may know what happened to Deal. Andy Naylor (Lee, Charlotte County) Betty Faber AKA: Betty Cole, Betty Naylor, Betty Bird (Lee, Charlotte, and Sarasota County) Frank Jenkins AKA Sonny Jenkins (Lee County) Brenda Jenkins AKA Brenda Ray (Lee County) Ted Smith (Lee, Charlotte County) Shirlene McMillan Williams (Lee County) William Duffy (Charlotte County) John Bird (Sarasota County) John Faber (Charlotte, Lee County) James Harkcom (Lee County) Clarence Whickum (Lee County) Larry Lopez (Lee County) Ida Mae Pinder Dailey (Lee County) John Nelson (Lee County) Donald Naylor (Lee, Charlotte County) Robert Naylor (Charlotte County) “We realize how much time has passed since this murder but we do believe there are still people in the area that have direct or indirect information related to this case,” the sheriff’s office said. If you had contact with any of these people around the time of the crime, or have heard any of them speak about the crime, please contact the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office at 941-639-2101.