Lynne Ann Friend
Lynne, circa 1994; Clifford Friend in 2012
- Missing Since 08/28/1994
- Missing From Hallandale Beach, Florida
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Female
- Race White
- Date of Birth 11/13/1958 (65)
- Age 35 years old
- Height and Weight Unknown
- Associated Vehicle(s) Blue 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis (accounted for)
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue eyes. Lynne's ears are pierced. Her maiden name is Allen.
Details of Disappearance
Lynne was last seen in Hallandale Beach, Florida on August 28, 1994. She was talking on the phone with her fiance when, at 8:15 p.m., she said her ex-husband, Clifford Brett Friend, had stopped by and wanted her to go out to Pembroke Pines with him, about a ten-minute drive, to pick up his child support check. She has never been heard from again.
At 10:00 p.m., a witness saw a man park Lynne's blue 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis next to a field at at northeast 26th Avenue and 207th Street in northeast Miami-Dade County. The man got into a black SUV, similar to the 1992 Ford Explorer Clifford owned, and drove away. When police recovered Lynne's car from that location several days later, the right front tire was cut as if it had been stabbed with a knife.
At 11:30 p.m., U.S. Coast Guard officials saw Clifford and a friend, Alan M. Gold, throw a large suitcase and a smaller object off Clifford's motorboat into the Atlantic Ocean, about three miles offshore from Miami Beach. There was a violent storm in the area at the time.
The Coast Guard patrol boat followed the men's boat with lights off, then surprised them in their spotlights. Clifford attempted to flee and led the Coast Guard boat on a chase before the two men were detained and charged with illegal dumping at sea. Questioned separately, they refused to say what they'd thrown overboard.
Law enforcement authorities seized the boat; there was some light-gauge rope and two cement blocks inside it. Authorities launched an extensive search for Lynne's body, but found no evidence.
Six days before her disappearance, Lynne won full custody of her five-year-old son. She was about to take her son and move to Nashville, Tennessee to be with her fiance, a wealthy businessman. Clifford fought to stop her from moving.
Their three-year marriage had ended amicably and the initially shared joint custody of their son, but Lynne filed for full custody after she decided to move to Tennessee. The custody battle was bitter, and Lynne's family was afraid for her safety. Clifford was reportedly devastated after Lynne was awarded full custody. He got custody of their son after Lynne's disappearance, refused to let her parents see him, and remarried in 1995.
In March 2012, Clifford was charged with Lynne's murder. He had been a suspect in her disappearance from the onset of the investigation. A photo of Clifford is posted with this case summary.
Gold was granted immunity from prosecution for his role in the crime in return for his testimony against Clifford. Clifford was convicted of second-degree murder in November 2014, after a two-week trial. Foul play is suspected in Lynne's case due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
- Miami-Dade Police Department
Updated 4 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated December 12, 2018; five pictures added.