Source URL: https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/sheriff-man-recently-executed-killing-lake-county-girl-also-abducted-killed-polk-county-girl/Z4NE5OQINJCH3JEZFASJQYHSPU/
(The existing local file ActionNewsJax_2026-07-30_Weldon_cold_case_link.html in this folder captured only page metadata, not the article body, per the prior audit. Full article body successfully retrieved via WebFetch on 2026-08-22; content below.)

Headline (subject): James Duckett and the Jeanifer Weldon Cold Case
Byline outlet: Action News Jax

James Aren Duckett, 68, a former Mascotte police officer, was executed Tuesday [July 28, 2026] for the 1987 rape and murder of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee in Lake County. During a Thursday [July 30, 2026] news conference, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced that Duckett was also responsible for the 1987 abduction and murder of 14-year-old Jeanifer Weldon in Polk County.

Sheriff's evidence, per Judd: detectives linked Duckett to Weldon's death through multiple factors — he left work early the night she disappeared, drove past the street where she was last seen, and returned to work approximately two hours late the following morning. Additionally, a bag containing candy and a stuffed animal that Duckett gave to his wife matched items Weldon had purchased that day.

Quotes:
- Sheriff Judd: "We never had not one iota of evidence that anyone other than James Duckett committed this murder."
- Jeanifer's sister Amy Weldon: "I am confident, 100 percent, that the right person died."
- Jeanifer's sister Hope Limansah: the announcement brings "long-awaited justice for the family."

Investigation status: investigators have not identified additional victims beyond McAbee and Weldon, and plan one final meeting with state prosecutors before officially closing the Weldon case.

NOTE: This is fully consistent with the FOX 13 Tampa Bay account already in this documents folder (FOX13_2026-07-30_Weldon_cold_case_link.html), which The_Duckett_File.html relies on more heavily for this section. No new or conflicting facts emerged from this second outlet's account.