Officials said that a man suspected of committing a murder in Florida 39 years ago, was arrested in California on Thursday.
Donald Santini (65) was wanted for the killing of Cynthia Ruth Wood, in Hillsborough County, western Florida, in 1984.
The U.S. Marshals Service said that he was arrested by a fugitive team in Campo, near the border with Mexico, in San Diego County on Thursday. Marshals Service.
The Marshals Service reported that a tip-off led them to Santini.
In a press release, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Amanda Granit said that the arrest allowed them to examine evidence collected in 1984 with the help of modern technology. The case was now considered “open” once more.
She said that the Florida sheriff’s office had issued an arrest warrant for Santini.
Santini, a Californian man arrested Friday night for allegedly violating his bail conditions, was held in jail without bond.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether he had a lawyer who could speak in his behalf.
Wood’s corpse was discovered in a ditch southeast of Tampa on June 9, 1985. A medical examiner found that she had been strangled. NBC affiliate WFLA of Tampa confirmed this.
Campo, a small community located about 40 miles south of San Diego, has a population of around 3,000.
