Arrest Made in 1986 North Miami Beach Cold Case Murder of Shirley Branch

Cold Case Solved After Nearly Four Decades

• 🎯 A cold case murder in North Miami Beach, dating back to 1986, has been solved with an arrest.
• 💔 The victim, Shirley Branch, a licensed real estate broker, was shot and killed during a robbery at her office.
• ⏳ Her family has waited nearly 40 years for justice following the incident.

Detective Persistence and Cold Case Unit

• 💡 Two retired detectives, deeply moved by the case, returned to the department with a determination to solve it.
• 🛠️ In January 2023, they established a dedicated cold case unit to re-examine old investigations.
• 🔍 The team resubmitted latent fingerprints from the original crime scene, which had not met criteria for entry into the automated fingerprint identification system at the time.

Breakthrough and Arrest

• ✅ In March, the resubmitted fingerprints yielded a match to Jeffrey Taylor, now 65 years old.
• ⚖️ Police state Taylor was 26 at the time of the murder and robbery.
• 🤝 Family members of Shirley Branch are expected to stand with detectives at a news conference, marking an emotional moment after years of waiting.
• 👏 The story highlights the persistence of detectives who came out of retirement to provide closure for the victim's family.