Dimitric Alexander Moore

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

New Smyrna Beach Police Department (FL)

Offense Location:

New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Summary:

One fateful day in April 1995, eight year old Dimitric Moore disappeared while playing in his neighborhood. His body would be found in the trunk of his mother’s car a day after he was reported missing. Moore’s mother was originally charged with his death but was acquitted at trial. She maintains her innocence and has been searching for her son’s killer for years. No one else has been arrested or charged in the boy’s death which remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

On April 23rd 1995, eight year old Dimitric Moore left his house at 706 Jefferson Street at some point between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm to play outside with his best friend. He never returned home that evening so his mother, Ora Lee Moore reported him missing at 9:08 pm. Police, neighbors and family all searched for the missing boy but came up with nothing. The next day, Dimitric’s older brother discovered his nude body in the trunk of Ora’s red 1991 or 1992 Nissan Sentra at 3:45 pm. An autopsy showed he died due to asphyxiation and his death was ruled a homicide. Ora and her boyfriend were looked at as suspects in the case. On December 18th 1995, she was arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter in connection with her son’s death. The prosecution alleged that Dimitric returned home later than Ora wished so she severely beat him before drowning him in the bathtub. She then reported him missing to cover up the crime before placing his body in her car’s trunk. Ora’s trial began in May 1996, through its entirety she maintained she had nothing to do with Dimitric’s death and that she had no idea what happened to him that night. A month later, a jury acquitted Ora of the charges on June 4th 1996. The jurors stated she had been consistent with her testimony since the beginning and they did not believe she was responsible for killing her son. Most detectives and prosecutors continue to assert that Ora was responsible for her son’s death but she maintains her innocence to this day.

Additional Details:

While no other suspects have been identified in Dimitric’s death, his mother and others believe he might’ve been killed at the hands of some neighborhood boys. Several witnesses recall that these boys would bully Moore and were aggressive towards him. In one instance, a larger boy was seen holding him down on the ground and forcing him to eat dirt. Ora and some investigators believes that someone placed Dimitric’s body in her car’s trunk while she was searching for her son. One of the boys also told a neighbor that Moore was found dead near the railroad tracks and had been beaten to death. This was before his body was found and was obviously incorrect since his body was located in the family car. Some of the boys he was seen with that night moved away from the area after his death. This possibility was investigated in 1997 but nothing new or conclusive could be determined. Officially, Dimitric’s murder is considered closed even though his killer has never been identified.

Case Last Updated:

Aug 11, 2025