GIBSONTON, Fla. — Nearly 30 years after her body was found on the side of the road in Gibsonton, a woman's "tragic" cold case murder has finally been solved.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office shared its "significant breakthrough" in a release Friday.
Roslin Kruse, just 23 years old at the time, was last seen alive on Nov. 1, 1993, on Mike Drive near E Fletcher Avenue in Tampa. Later that day, her "lifeless body" was found on the shoulder of East Bay Road south of Symmes Road in Gibsonton, the agency said.
She had been strangled, an autopsy later confirmed.
When Hillsborough County detectives initially began the investigation said they knew Kruse had gotten into a car with an unknown person. That car was traced back to a home on Mike Drive, where Kruse and the unknown person went inside. The sheriff's office said while no evidence of a crime was found at the home, suspicions were raised.
As detectives continued the original investigation, they said they learned Michael Rizzo — who lived just 0.4 miles from where Kruse's body was found — had picked the 23-year-old up on the day of the murder. He reportedly claimed to have dropped her off alive and denied any involvement in her death.
Rizzo reportedly took a polygraph exam, which reportedly indicated deception in his responses. However, conflicting accounts from Rizzo's wife and girlfriend of the time complicated the investigation. The sheriff's office did not specify the details of these accounts.
Over the years, Kruse's murder investigation ran cold.
An unknown DNA sample found on Kruse's body, along with other forensic evidence, was collected and stored in a database. However, no matches had been found — until recently.
Back in November 2021, investigators said they asked Rizzo's biological daughter for a DNA swab. That sample eventually gave detectives the needed match to the DNA sample found on Kruse's body.
"The revelation provided a pivotal lead in the case," the sheriff's office said in its release.
Cold case investigators note they confirmed Rizzo died back on March 1, 2011, in Orange County, Fla.
The new findings however, including the matching DNA sample, gave investigators the confidence that Rizzo was in fact responsible for Kruse's murder.
"Based on the comprehensive investigation, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has officially closed the case and is confident that Michael Rizzo was responsible for the death of Roslin Kruse," the release said in part.
Investigators have met with Kruse's relatives living in Ponte Vedra, Fla., and told them about what they found and that they have closed the case, the agency said.
"This investigation demonstrates the commitment of our cold case investigators to bring justice to victims and their families, no matter how much time has passed," Sheriff Chad Chronister said. "We extend our deepest condolences to Ms. Kruse's family, and we hope the resolution of this case can provide them with some closure."