On Thursday, Fort Lauderdale detectives circulated fliers with photos of Lorenzo and his friend Scott Paul Schweichert, who told authorities he witnessed Lorenzo drug, torture and kill the Tampa victims.

The flier urges anyone who saw Lorenzo or Schweichert in the spring or summer of 2004 to call police.

Lorenzo faces federal drug charges. Schweichert is charged with being an accessory to a drug-facilitated crime of violence.

A handsome bachelor who had just completely remodeled his condo, Mark Douglas Jackson, 35, vanished from his penthouse suite on the 13th floor of the Drake Tower here June 27. He has not been seen since. The same goes for Barry Block and David George Rhodes, who have been missing from the Drake since 1988.

Fort Lauderdale police Detective Jim Curcio this week has been calling family members of the missing men, trying to determine Lorenzo's whereabouts when Jackson unexpectedly left a friend and walked out of his condo at 4 a.m. after a night of partying.

``This is the first solid lead we've had,'' Curcio said. ``Now we have to see if [Lorenzo] was in town last Fourth of July weekend.''

Jackson's case has stymied investigators and sent shock waves through nearby Wilton Manors, where gays enjoy a majority representation on the city council.

Police twice drained a section of the South Fork Middle River cuddled next to the Drake, searching for Jackson, said the condo's manager, Bruce Tanner. Tanner grew to know Jackson and spearheaded a media campaign to solve the case, which was profiled on ``America's Most Wanted.''

``You would never in a million years think that this would happen to Mark,'' Tanner said. He thinks Jackson had a fight with his friend and decided to go back out to party some more.

Investigators found small amounts of cocaine, amphetamines and methedrine in Jackson's room, according to the police report. His friend awoke the next morning to find Jackson gone with no explanation. The friend has passed a polygraph test.

Curcio is looking for a possible link to Lorenzo, who has owned a condo across the street at 1785 N. Andrews Avenue for about 10 years.

``I'm shocked about all this stuff,'' said Ray Schlapfer, a neighbor of Lorenzo's. He said that generally Lorenzo appeared at the condo only between tenants to paint and fix up the place.

Police have their doubts about a connection to Block's and Rhodes' disappearances, which remain a mystery. Rhodes' mother also has heard from Curcio, but she remains skeptical.

``I really don't think David and Barry are part of this,'' she said. ``It was just too long ago.''

Authorities in North Carolina, Chicago and Coral Gables also have contacted Tampa police about a possible link to the Lorenzo investigation, said Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy, who declined to elaborate.

Reporter Lenny Savino can be reached at (813) 259-7567.