Thirty-nine years without closure. Thirty-nine years of driving by the lot where neighborhood gossip said her mother was buried. The site had been investigated long ago but a recent tip, more sophisticated modern equipment, and the dedication and persistence of Detective Ron Chalmers led to a new phase of investigation that hoped to give answers to a family, and a community, that has dealt with loss and mystery for decades.
In the 1970s and 1980s, three women vanished. All three of them had dated the same man, Cleveland Hill. All three tried to leave him and all three disappeared.
Hill had an asphalt business and worked all around Pinellas County. He was also known to bury construction debris late at night at different properties he owned. He had the heavy equipment, a job that let him dig around the county, and a history of violence. In 1968 he had shot his wife and mother-in-law. Both women survived and Hill received a minimal sentence.
“We all knew he did it,” said Dana Hiers, daughter of Retha Hiers. Dana last saw her mother in 1982 when she was just 14 years old. Retha left behind seven children – six daughters and a son – and the children’s father who she had been with for 25 years and had just recently married. “The police knew he did it. It was just a question of proving it.” Despite extensive investigation, no proof of Hill’s involvement in the three women’s disappearance ever surfaced.
The case had been reexamined before, as are all cold cases involving missing persons, and there was even a limited excavation in 1993, but this time Pinellas County Public Works and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) joined forces to determine once and for all whether Retha Hiers was buried on the property.
Detective Chalmers began the investigation by digging deep into history, looking not just at the original cases on Retha and the other two missing women, Donyelle Johnson and Margaret Dash, but also pouring over aerial images dating back to 1980 through the 1990s, interviewing former detectives who had been assigned to the original case, and getting the help of Dr. Meredith Tise. Dr. Tise is a forensic anthropologist and the PCSO Forensic Quality Assurance Coordinator. She and her team brought in ground penetrating radar which found several anomalies under the surface.
On June 28 they rolled out excavation equipment and began making surface scrapes with a smooth blade bucket. Once they cleared the weeds and the topsoil it was possible to see the outline of filled holes. Ultimately, though, full excavation was the only way to determine if there was any evidence at the site.
Pinellas County Public Works provided two excavators, a front-end loader, and other equipment. Although the initial plan estimated three days of work, once they began digging it became clear that it would take longer. Things were buried over the entire property – concrete slabs and pillars, tanks, and assorted debris – often down to a depth of eight feet. In the end, the thorough excavation took five days, with each day lasting 12-13 hours for the detectives, forensic specialists, and county employees.
Dana was there the entire time too, vowing to stay until she had answers one way or the other. Friends and family helped her keep vigil, sitting in the shade or pacing behind the crime scene tape, waiting hopefully for answers in a case that has haunted the neighborhood. “This could bring peace not just for me but for the whole community,” she said.
Dana’s father lives in north Florida now. He also worked in the asphalt business, and in fact he and Hill knew each other and sometimes borrowed each other’s equipment. “Dad has been with us from day one,” Dana said. “Always by our sides. He’s the best dad a girl could ask for.” She hoped the excavation would find something for his sake. “Dad would be at peace too,” she said.
“If nothing comes of this – and I’m praying something does – at least I don’t have to drive by here every day thinking she’s here,” Dana said on the first day of the excavation.
In the end, no evidence was found at the scene. But Dana is grateful that the PCSO took the tip seriously, and that Detective Chalmers never loses focus on cold cases. “They’ve been so supportive, every single one,” she said of the PCSO members. “I’m so thankful, truly thankful.”
Reviving the memories of her mother’s disappearance and sparking new hope for answers has taken its toll on Dana and her family. Although Dana told Detective Chalmers that she’d be comfortable closing the case now, missing persons cases are never closed until they are resolved. Detective Chalmers won’t be giving up.
“I’m really impressed with the sheriff’s commitment to cold cases,” said Detective Chalmers. “The agency is willing to allocate the resources to helping victims and families no matter how old the case may be.”
