COLD CASE UPDATE: HUMAN REMAINS FOUND ON EGLIN PROPERTY POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED AS MISSING DEFUNIAK SPRINGS MAN
WALTON COUNTY, FLA— A decade-old cold case has moved one step closer to closure for the family of a missing DeFuniak Springs man.
Skeletal remains located near Eglin Air Force Base property have been positively identified as John Thomas “JT” Watson.
Watson, who was 38 at the time he went missing, was released from prison on July 1, 2015. He had been staying with family and occasionally at local motels in DeFuniak Springs as he worked to rebuild his life. In August 2015, he purchased two used vehicles: a Ford Mustang and a Mitsubishi Mirage.
He was last seen on Friday, August 7, 2015, driving the Mirage in DeFuniak Springs. That vehicle was later found abandoned on a large, wooded section of Eglin property between Coy Burgess Loop and Nelson Road on October 18, 2015, with the keys still inside. It was photographed, towed, and taken into evidence.
Following Watson’s disappearance, Walton County Sheriff’s Office and partnering agencies carried out extensive searches across the area, and investigators pursued, examined, and exhausted every possible lead and tip submitted to our agency.
On November 24, 2025, human remains were discovered near Forest Oak Road on Eglin Air Force Base property. A set of keys belonging to the Ford Mustang was also found near the skeletal remains. No weapons were located.
The remains were positively identified as Watson through DNA analysis with support from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and DNA Labs International.
Our agency would like to extend our gratitude to the District 1 Medical Examiner’s Office and Legacy K-9 Search Team for their assistance throughout the investigation.
Even with this discovery, the investigation continues. Anyone with information they think is important to this case is asked to call the Walton County Sheriff’s Office at (850)-892-8111, or you can remain anonymous by calling Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers at (850)-863-TIPS.