Local

Family of slain Navy sailor pleads for help finding killers

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — There were new pleas from of the family of a slain U.S. sailor 14 months after he was fatally shot.

Jeffrey Guzman-Perez was shot to death in November 2011, not far from a friend's home in south Orange County.

Authorities said no substantial witnesses have ever come forward, and they believe they're maintaining a code of silence.

The night of his death, Guzman-Perez was dropping off a friend along Wineguard Road when a blue minivan with three men inside approached and someone inside fatally shot him, authorities said.

According to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, the men were described as a black male, measuring about 6 feet tall with dreadlocks, and a Hispanic man wearing a mask.

Investigators said an unidentified third man was driving the minivan.

During a news conference on Wednesday, the family pleaded for the public's help in identifying a suspect.

"Every holiday that goes by is a day that we don't get to spend time with him," said Guzman-Perez's brother, Tito Guzman. "When we do celebrate his birthday or Christmas, he's missing."

Since the killing, Guzman-Perez's father has walked the street handing out his son's photo and knocking on doors, but so far, he has not gotten anyone to talk.

Guzman-Perez was a sailor in the U.S. Navy.

"He did make that decision to join the Navy and stand up for his country, and people should keep that in mind and take that into consideration when they decide whether or not they should come forward and talk and help him just the same way he helped," said the victim's sister, Emily Guzman.

CrimeLine is offering a $5,000 reward for information in the case.

The Sheriff's Office has also pledged to protect anyone who may have information but is concerned about their safety.