St. Pete Police Announce Indictment in 2012 Murder of Pregnant Teen

ST.PETE, FL — Police announced the indictment of 28-year-old Jacobee Flowers for the first-degree murder of Morgan Martin on Monday.

Martin, 17, was pregnant when she disappeared shortly after midnight no July 25, 2012. At the time she told family members she was going outside to meet the baby's father, known to them as Jacobee Flowers, police said. Martin's mother reported her missing the next day.

According to police, investigation shows that Flowers planned Martin's murder and disposed of her body.

During the initial investigation, police were unable to locate Martin and focused the investigation on Flowers, who denied knowing where the teen was and said he was not the father of the unborn child. After interviewing others possibly connected to Martin's disappearance, police said all signs pointed to Flowers.

The case eventually grew cold and was reopened when the department formed the Cold Case Unit in 2015.

"Over the next 13 months, Cold Case detectives re-interviewed witnesses, located and spoke with new witnesses, re-examined evidence, collected new evidence, analyzed data, and sought the assistance of other law enforcement experts, as well as experts from other specialized fields," police said in a statement. "The detectives requested 21 subpoenas, 9 search warrants and 10 court orders as part of the investigation. Detectives traveled extensively throughout Florida and to Alabama following leads in Morgan's disappearance."

A Grand Jury returned an indictment June 23 charging Flowers with the first-degree murder of Martin.

Flowers is in the custody of the DOC at Avon Park after being sentenced for unrelated felony traffic charges.

He will be transported to the Pinellas County Jail to face the murder charge once he completes his current sentence sometime in July. Detectives believe there are other people who have information about Morgan Martin's disappearance and murder and are asking them to come forward.

"We are committed to locating Morgan's body, so that her family can have a proper funeral for her and her unborn baby," the police statement said.

Images via St. Pete Police {Pictured Left Morgan Martin, Pictured Right, Jacobee Flowers]