Five-and-a-half years later: Floyd Ellis' murder remains unsolved

SHARON — Four days after he was reported missing, Floyd Ellis Jr. was found dead, facedown in Webatuck Creek, on Sept. 24, 2004.

After an investigation, the state police declared the death to be suspicious and offered a $50,000 reward for any information that could lead to a conviction. 

Almost six years later, the case has yet to be solved.

In April 2005, Trooper William Tate of the State Police Public Information Office told The Lakeville Journal that investigators felt that they had a good solid case and could move forward if they had a little more information.

Last week, State Police Spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said the case is still under investigation.

“This is an open case, there is no such thing as a cold case,†Vance said. “If anyone has any information, no matter how insignificant it appears, we would welcome it.â€

Earlier this month, Brigitte Ruthman, a reporter for the Republican American, wrote an article that said a secret one-man grand jury has convened in Bantam Court to hear testimony about the case.

Vance denied this when questioned by this newspaper.

“No, there is no grand jury,†Vance said. “I don’t know where they got their information from. They sure didn’t get it from us.â€

Grand jury proceedings, however, are held in secret. All involved are sworn to secrecy and could face penalties if they talk about the proceedings in public.

Ellis was 36 years old when he died.

He lived on Sharon Station Road and worked for Swanson Construction Co. for several years. When he died, he was the owner of his own contracting business, E-Construction, which he had opened in 1997.

He left behind two sons, Austin Patrick Ellis and Joshua Devin Ellis.

Sharon resident Ray Aakjar, who lived across the street from Floyd Ellis, recently reflected fondly on his neighbor.

“He was a hard-working guy and a good father,†Aakjar said. “He helped out anyone he could. He was good to his boys and took real good care of them. I don’t know who killed him and I can’t speculate why.â€

According to police reports, Ellis was last seen at the Sharon Valley Tavern on Sept. 20, 2004.

Various sources, including the state medical examiner, said that Ellis had sustained trauma to the back of the head.

While his body was found in Webatuck Creek, the examiner found no significant amount of water in his lungs, which ruled out drowning.

The Ellis case is still listed on the state’s Department of Public Safety’s Web site at ct.gov/dps/cwp/view.asp?a=2159&q=336102 and the $50,000 reward offered by the state still stands.