Delia D'Ambra

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Hi, park enthusiasts.

I'm your host, Delia D'Ambra.

And the story I'm going to tell you today takes place on a sliver of land off the west coast of Florida called Anna Maria Island.

This geographic area isn't a national park or state park, per se, but it is a premier destination for tourists, boaters, vacationers, and beachcombers.

The website for Ana Maria Island's Chamber of Commerce describes it as a piece of paradise and was once one of the Sunshine State's best-kept secrets.

It's covered in white sand beaches, tropical plants, beautiful natural wildlife, as well as restaurants, rental houses, and condos.

But the reason I picked this case for this show is because, in my opinion, it's less about the recreation space and more about the recreationalists who are at the center of it.

People like you and me, they were wrapping up a day of being in the great outdoors when the unthinkable happened.

An amenity the victims in this story used, and so many other island visitors use, is the Kingfish Boat Ramp, which is located in the city of Holmes Beach.

The Anna Maria Islander reported that for a long time, the boat ramp was actually just part of unincorporated Manatee County.

But the city police department regularly patrolled it anyways to, I presume, make sure people weren't parking their vehicles and trailers there overnight or getting into trouble.

Today, it is actually part of the city of Holmes Beach.

The ramp bears the name kingfish as an ode to the species of mackerel that can be caught off its coastline.

According to the website visitflorida.com, kingfish are a prize game fish that prefer warmer waters.

And if you're lucky enough to snag one of them, you'll notice right away that they have a habit of spinning, leaping, and making explosive movements in the water to try and get away.

The same thing could be said about the perpetrator in today's story, who, in quite an explosive and violent fashion, managed to outmaneuver a popular recreation space crawling with witnesses, as well as generations of law enforcement investigators.

This is Park Predators.

Shortly before 5 p.m.

on Friday, August 1st, 1980, an 18-year-old named Annie Barrows was driving back from a fried chicken restaurant in Bradenton, Florida, while vacationing with her family and cousins on Anna Maria Island.