(ConservativeInsider.org) – It’s been 30 years since 23-year-old Roslin Kruse was found dead on the side of the road outside Tampa, Florida. Thanks to DNA testing, authorities have likely found her killer.
The day Kruse died, she was seen getting into a vehicle with an “unknown person.” That vehicle was traced back to the residence of Michael Rizzo on Mike Drive in Tampa, where Kruse and the unknown person went inside. Later that day, Kruse’s body was found just 0.4. miles away. An autopsy revealed her cause of death as strangulation.
After Kruse’s body was found, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into Rizzo, whose property and car Kruse entered. At the time of the investigation, he claimed she was still alive when he dropped her off and said he was not involved in her death in any way. Investigators went so far as to give Rizzo a polygraph test, and results “indicated deception.” However, conflicting statements given by both Rizzo’s wife and girlfriend at the time complicated the investigation.
Law enforcement officers collected forensic evidence at the time of her death, but in 1993, there were no matches to the DNA sample taken from Kruse’s body. Investigators stored the evidence in a database, waiting for a match to show up. In November 2021, cold case investigators asked Rizzo’s biological daughter for a DNA sample, which matched the profile found on Kruse’s body.
Investigators met with Kruse’s remaining relatives, who live in Ponte Vedra, Florida, after the discovery and to inform them of their findings. They wanted to tell her relatives about the resolution of her case in person. Sheriff Chad Chronister shared his condolences publicly and said he hopes the resolution gives them some closure.
Though Kruse’s family now has the knowledge that her killer was identified, true justice has eluded them. According to the sheriff, the man who killed Kruse passed away in Florida on March 1, 2011. The case is now officially closed.
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