Rachel Hurley, a whip-smart eighth grader on the verge of young-adulthood, spent the afternoon of St. Patrick’s Day 1990 out on a boat with friends. She was last seen headed down the beach on her way to meet her mother at a pick-up spot … but she never made it. That evening, following a frantic search, her body was found in a nearby wooded area. The specter of the 14-year-old’s inexplicable murder has lingered over the coastal South Florida beach town of Jupiter for more than three decades.
Courtesy of Florida Association of Crime Stoppers
Episode Info
If you were near Jupiter Inlet or Carlin Park on March 17th, 1990, and have any information on the murder of Rachel Hurley, call Detective William Springer at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office at 561-688-4013.
Rachel Hurley was 14 years old when she was killed on St. Patrick’s Day 1990 following an afternoon with friends in Jupiter, Florida. Source: Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office
Rachel Hurley was an eighth-grader at Jupiter Middle School at the time of her murder. Source: Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office
Rachel Hurley, 14, was widely revered as a leader and independent spirit among her classmates and friends. Source: Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office
An article in the Palm Beach Post newspaper published on the one-year anniversary of Rachel’s murder. (1 of 2)
An article in the Palm Beach Post newspaper published on the one-year anniversary of Rachel’s murder. (2 of 2) Courtesy: Palm Beach Post
An article published on June 13th, 1990 about the case. Billy Fagan, a then-17-year-old who was casual friends with Rachel, quickly drew the attention of law enforcement because of his juvenile record and a host of former girlfriends who accused him of sexual misconduct. Those charges were dropped, and Billy was cleared by DNA of involvement in the murder (1 of 2).
Billy Fagan, a then-17-year-old who was casual friends with Rachel, quickly drew the attention of law enforcement because of his juvenile record and a host of former girlfriends who accused him of sexual misconduct. Those charges were dropped, and Billy was cleared by DNA of involvement in the murder. Source: article from the Palm Beach Post newspaper, June 13th, 1990 (2 of 2) Source: Palm Beach Post
Local officials in Jupiter and Palm Beach County were quick to scapegoat people on the beach experiencing homelessness after Rachel’s murder. Source: Palm Beach Post newspaper, April 7th, 1990
Facing staggering wait times and delays for DNA testing results, Palm Beach County sheriff’s officials began a public campaign in October 1990 for their own on-site testing capabilities. Source: Palm Beach Post newspaper, October 30th, 1990
Town officials in Jupiter were so convinced the killer among them was a transient individual that they approved tens of thousands of dollars in funding to support the hiring of four new police officers who would be tasked with clearing out homeless encampments. Source: Palm Beach Post newspaper, April 5th, 1990
In September 1990, Billy Fagan’s attorney signaled he may be open to speaking with investigators if they would agree to publicly exonerate him of any involvement in the murder after the fact. Source: Palm Beach Post newspaper, September 12th, 1990
A Palm Beach Post newspaper article from May 12th, 1990 where Billy Fagan’s attorney, Richard Lubin, insists his client had an alibi for the day Rachel was murdered. Source: Palm Beach Post newspaper, May 12th, 1990
DNA evidence collected from a T-shirt found inside a burn barrel that was in the area where Rachel’s body was found returned a positive hit on a new suspect, Doug Gross, in 2004. He wasn’t publicly identified until 2005. While the shirt did, indeed, belong to Gross , there was no evidence to suggest Gross killed Rachel, and he was never charged. Source: Palm Beach Post newspaper, March 18th, 2005 (1 of 2)
DNA evidence collected from a T-shirt found inside a burn barrel that was in the area where Rachel’s body was found returned a positive hit on a new suspect, Doug Gross, in 2004. He wasn’t publicly identified until 2005. While the shirt did, indeed, belong to Gross, there was no evidence to suggest Gross killed Rachel, and he was never charged. Source: Palm Beach Post newspaper, March 18th, 2005 (2 of 2)
Carlin Park in Jupiter, Florida. Source: audiochuck staff
The beach and adjoining wooded underbrush that runs parallel to the shoreline near Carlin Park in Jupiter, Florida. Source: audiochuck staff
Episode Source Material
- In-person interview with Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Will Springer
- “Who Killed Rachel Hurley?” Palm Beach Florida Weekly.
- “The Lead” podcast by Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Episode: “Rachel Hurley,”
- “The Accused,” South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- “Deadly Run: The Murder of Rachel Hurley,” An Injustice (news-magazine blog)