Fernandina Beach Police seeks justice on behalf of S 13th Street murder victim

Fernandina Beach Police Department

October 27, 2021

The death of Colleen Potts on South 13th Street is a terrible tragedy. We all have plans to pass peacefully in our sleep at a ripe old age, not at the hands of a person with no respect for human life – it’s simply not fair.
Because Colleen can no longer speak for herself, it is now our responsibility to speak for her and seek justice on her behalf, a responsibility that we take very seriously.
We want our community to know that we are devoting the resources of our Investigations Bureau to follow all possible leads. With the assistance of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) we are also closely reviewing evidence that was collected at the scene, some physical, some electronic and some biological. All of this takes time as we get in line at the regional crime lab with other agencies that are investigating crimes in their jurisdictions.
We would like to share details with our community, but each case has specific elements, some only known to the suspect. Therefore, we cannot give out details or specifics that could compromise the investigation.
We are saddened by this senseless act. It hurts us because this has hurt our community, the community each of us is proud to be part of.
Please be assured we are working tirelessly on this case. You may not see it, much of it will be behind the scenes but the dedication and effort will be there.
As for your personal safety, based on evidence at the scene, we believe this is an isolated incident. However, we always encourage our community to take safety precautions, we never know a person’s intentions. Please remember to lock your doors, stay alert to activity in your area and report suspicious activity to the police by calling 9-1-1 or 904-225-5174.
We also ask our community to contact us if you have any information or concerns. Detective Christina Corbitt is the lead detective, and her number is 904-310-3218.
Her supervisor, Sergeant Matt Bowen is also available to accept information or address concerns, he can be reached at 904-310-3221.