James Anthony Frederick

On December 9, 1991, the body of 40-year-old Martin J. Gatto, a New York-born filing clerk, was found at his apartment in Lantana. He had been stabbed several times with a knife, but when questioned, neighbors claimed that they had not heard any strange noises the previous night.[1] The murder shocked his co-workers, as Gatto was known as a diligent employee who got along with everybody.[2]

On August 22, 1992, the bodies of 45-year-old Rita Ann Bado and her 20-year-old daughter Lisa Ann, who had originally moved to Lantana from Torrington, Connecticut, were found inside an apartment in the Runaway Bay apartment complex.[3] The discovery was made by Rita's brother and his wife, who had gone to check on them after learning that Bado had failed to show up at her job as a cashier at a Walmart in Delray Beach.[4] Both women were found bound in the master bedroom; were partially nude; showed signs of sexual assault and were apparently shot to death with a small-caliber weapon.[3]

Upon investigating the crime scene, detectives determined that most of the valuables had been left behind and that there were no apparent signs of forced entry. The only notable thing that was missing was Lisa's black Honda CR-X, but the vehicle was located a few days later outside of a warehouse in Hypoluxo.[5] Due to this, it was suggested that the killings were committed by somebody who was acquainted with the pair, but not necessarily known to them, with one of the investigators on this case mostly dismissing the suggestion that it was the work of a serial killer or somebody who was "passing by."[6] To both the investigators and to Bados' friends' dismay, however, news of the double murder was quickly overshadowed by the after-effects of Hurricane Andrew, which caused great damage across the state.[7] The investigation was hampered as a result, and even with the case being featured on an episode of A Current Affair the following year, it failed to generate any leads and quickly went cold.[8]