New leads sought in man's death

Body of Jay Harper found floating behind Embassy Suites in Deerfield Beach

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – Broward Sheriff's Office deputies and relatives of a Connecticut man whose body was found floating behind a hotel more than a year ago passed out flyers as they look for new leads in the case.

Jay Harper, 47, was in South Florida for a business conference when his body was found floating behind the Embassy Suites at 950 S. Ocean Way in the early morning hours of Oct. 17, 2012.

"We have had nothing to go on, and so it's a tough one," said his mother, Diane Harper. "When he came home from his business trips, he was a dad 100 percent, and he lived for his family."

"Sometimes I think he's coming back but he's not. It's been tough," added his wife, Karen Harper, as she left flowers where his body was found. "To keep the investigation going, you have to be out there, you have to talk about it, you have to let people be aware of it because we're the only ones that can advocate for him."

The cause of his death remains under investigation. Police released a sketch of a man who was seen in the area about the time Harper's body was found.

"It'd be nice to get some closure to this whole situation and find out what really happened to him and at least put it all behind us," said his brother, Chris Harper.

His family is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, and Broward Crime Stoppers is offering $3,000.

Anyone with information about Harper's death can call Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.