Jacksonville, Florida – A shocking crime that went unsolved for 44 years finally saw a confession from the convicted serial killer Billy Mansfield Jr. which brought some closure for the family of 18-year-old Carol Ann Barrett, who was brutally murdered in 1980. The case of her kidnapping and killing had long been considered a cold case until Mansfield, now 65 years old, admitted to the crime.
Ms. Barrett, who was visiting Daytona Beach, Florida, from Ohio with friends, was abducted from a motel in 1980 and found dead the next day more than 100 miles north. It was later revealed that she had been fatally shot and there was no indication of a struggle, leaving her case cold for decades.
After years of work and review of all available evidence, the case was reopened in 2017, leading to the development of a person of interest in 2020. Finally, in September 2022, Mansfield confessed to being the person in the police sketch and to kidnapping and killing Ms. Barrett, putting an end to the long unsolved mystery.
Despite his confession, authorities decided not to pursue prosecution against Mansfield, as he is already serving a life sentence for multiple other murders. His criminal history shows a pattern of violence and legal turmoil, with convictions for murdering five women in California and Florida, as well as a troubling past with sex crime charges.
The closure brought by Mansfield’s confession may provide some comfort to the family of Carol Ann Barrett, as they finally have some answers to a tragic and senseless loss that haunted them for over four decades. While Mansfield’s admission may have come after a long delay, it marks the end of a chapter in the painful history of this case, and brings a sense of closure to a community that has long been haunted by the unsolved murder.