LEONARDTOWN, MD — The unsolved murder of Vincent Paul Caciola, discovered 38 years ago near Fisherman’s Point, remains a haunting mystery as authorities search for clues and justice for his family.
A Troubling Discovery
On August 16, 1985, a Pax River trash crew found Caciola’s body under a blanket near a dirt road leading to Fisherman’s Point on base. Vincent Paul Caciola had gone missing two days earlier. His wife, Kimberly Rene Caciola (now Kimberly Grubbs), informed investigators that she last saw her husband at their Iris Drive home in California, Maryland, late August 14.
Upon returning home around midnight, she found the kids asleep, and Vincent, along with his motorcycle helmet, boots, gold-rim prescription glasses, and wallet, were nowhere to be found.
A Life Cut Short
Known to friends as “Vince,” Caciola was a devout church-goer at the SAYSF Church on Rue Purchase Road. In a 1985 interview, Reverend Theron Davidson remembered Vince, saying, “He was a very loving fellow and cared for his family. He was a good man.” He sang in the church choir, played guitar, and assisted South American missionaries with his ham radio skills.
An electronics engineer by trade, Caciola had moved to St. Mary’s around 1980 and married Kimberly Lowery about two years before his tragic death.
Details of the Crime
The autopsy revealed a lethal dose of someone else’s prescription medicines in Caciola’s blood, and strangulation was determined to cause death. Investigators from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and the FBI believe Vince was sedated with these drugs before he was strangled.
He was found wearing only a t-shirt, cutoff shorts, white socks, and a ligature tied around his neck. None of his missing personal items were ever recovered.
Authorities have long believed that the killer likely had help in carrying out the crime and that Vince was murdered during the timeframe his wife last saw him alive.
Call for Community Assistance
Vincent Paul Caciola’s resting place is at Charles Memorial Gardens in Leonardtown, but his loved ones continue to seek closure and justice.
If you have any information regarding this cold case, please get in touch with Sheriff’s Office Detective Sergeant Keith Moritz at (301) 475-4200 ext 8093 or keith.moritz@stmaryscountymd.gov. You can also contact Supervisory Special Agent Steven Dreiss at steven.dreiss@ncis.navy.mil or submit a tip to NCIS at www.ncis.navy.mil.
The community’s help in solving this decades-old mystery could finally provide peace for Vincent Paul Caciola’s family and friends, who have waited 38 years for answers.
Some of the information provided in this article was provided by a Facebook post from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office.