Jacksonville Beach youth pastor suspected of dismembering teen attended local nudist events

FRED LASTER CASE: Hyde denied bond | Hyde's Facebook posts 

The leader of a Jacksonville-area nudist club said the former youth pastor and mental health counselor suspected of dismembering a teen boy 23 years ago attended several local nudist events.

Ronnie Hyde, 60, was arrested Tuesday in the 1994 murder of 16-year-old Fred Laster and the FBI began searching his Jacksonville Beach home, as well as a property of his on Jacksonville's Eastside.

Updates: Jacksonville Beach man arrested for 1994 murder of 16-year-old

For more than two decades, Laster was known as "John Doe" to investigators looking into his death. His dismembered body was recovered behind a dumpster on Highway 441 near Interstate 10 on June 5, 1994.

The leader of First Coast Naturists recognized Hyde from his photo.

He said Hyde “came to a couple of events but never became a member … No one had a problem with him … he seemed OK … not outwardly weird or anything.”

He said Hyde has not attended an event in the past two years.

An acquaintance who used to ride bicycles with Hyde said the mental health counselor told him he was a nudist.

“He explained to me how nudist colonies work and they have rules and they stay a certain feet away from each other,” said the acquaintance, who did not want to be named.

He said he warned neighbors not to allow their kids around Hyde because of the nudism.

Cox Media Group