OR OR - Donna Kuzmaak, 23, Portland, 21 March 1979

dotr

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Murder occurred March 21, 1979.



Mar 18, 2014
"On the day Kuzmaak was killed, Mitchell arrived home from work at 4:30 p.m. Kuzmaak had left work 90 minutes earlier.

He noticed the couple's dogs were acting strangely and a dish of leftover manicotti sat out.

"Whoever was there may have got it out to distract the dogs, that's the only thing I could think of," he said.

Mitchell found Kuzmaak in the basement. She was beaten, strangled, stabbed and sexually assaulted.

Mitchell later noticed one of the dogs was stabbed as well, likely trying to protect her.

"She fought very hard," said Mike Stahlman, a retired detective now volunteering the Portland Police Bureau's Cold Case unit. "There was evidence that she did fight but was just overcome at some point."

Stahlman, who was a new police officer at the time Kuzmaak was killed, recalled the thorough investigation and the search for the killer at the time.

He reviewed two of the original leads with Fox 12.

A neighbor saw a man in front of Kuzmaak's home either the day of the murder or the day before. The neighbor worked with police to put together a composite of the man using stock "Identi-Kit" facial features.

Police also matched bloody footprints found in the basement to a pair of Aspen Trailfinder hiking boots. The shoes were fairly common and sold at several stores in Portland at the time
."

Read more: http://www.kptv.com/story/24999578/...te-agent-found-dead-in-basement#ixzz3QEkvUUSU
rbbm
 
DONNA KUZMAAK

On March 21, 1979, at approximately 4:30 pm, Donna Kuzmaak’s husband returned to his residence in the 3300 Blk of SE 13th from work. Expecting Donna to be home, he noticed a number of items in his residence out of place or askew. He began to search his residence for his wife.

Donna Kuzmaak was a 26 year old white female. She was athletic and played soccer and softball. She had attended the University of Oregon, studying biology and liberal arts. She worked in real estate for E.G. Stassens and Company, located at 49th and SE Powell. She left work that day between 3 and 3:30 pm. She was described as being friendly and cordial.

Donna’s husband found her in the residence. She had obviously been viciously assaulted. He felt for a pulse and listened at her chest to try and hear a heart beat. There was none.

Investigators followed up on numerous leads to no avail.

Witnesses may contact Cold Case Homicide Unit investigators directly at (503) 823-0400. To remain anonymous, witnesses may provide information through Crime Stoppers of Oregon.

Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information, reported to Crime Stoppers, that leads to an arrest in this case, or any unsolved felony, and tipsters can remain anonymous.

Information learned from social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter or YouTube should be shared with investigators as these tips may lead to the identification of a suspect or suspects. Links can be shared directly with investigators or anonymously through Crime Stoppers.

Leave a Crime Stoppers tip online at http://crimestoppersoforegon.com/submit_online_tip.php text CRIMES (274637) and in the subject line put 823HELP, followed by the tip, or call (503) 823-HELP (4357) and leave the tip information. Tips can be left in English or Spanish.

Visit http://www.tipsoft.com to download the Crime Stoppers App for the iPhone or Droid.

This case was also featured on KPTV: http://www.kptv.com/story/24999578/cold-case-young-real-estate-agent-found-dead-in-basement

https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/458187
 
Hopefully someone might recognize the composite of the poi, the person who brutalized Donna, surely has committed other crimes, before and after this one,imo.
 
Hopefully someone might recognize the composite of the poi, the person who brutalized Donna, surely has committed other crimes, before and after this one,imo.

Good call. A very highly respected poster on an EAR ONS forum is reporting tonight that this case has apparently been solved. That poster is a friend of the victim's family, dating to the time of the murder.

This is what he posted tonight:

"The killer has likely been identified by the method used for the the Golden State Killer. He was executed for a similar murder. I won't go into details, since there has not been an official release by the police regarding this. Apparently there is no DNA sample extant for the excuted murderer. The likely match is through a close relative, and a similarity of the murder for which he was convicted to that of the Donna Kuzmaak murder. The murder for which he was convicted occurred in his native state, which is far removed from Oregon. It would seem that he made a trip west.

There is a possibility that the authoritiesa are still looking at other relatives."

This would be a good case for Parabon | The East Area Rapist (EAR) Original Night Stalker (ONS) Golden State Killer
 
It makes me wonder if LE looked at her showings before her death...Did a potential client follow her home... Did someone see her pic in a real estate ad and stalked/killed her...

The killer seemed to know her and the husband's routine...He seemed to know when the husband would arrive at home IMO...
 
Here's some media I looked up.
 

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I used to live right up the street from where Donna lost her life. I had to walk past her house 1-2 times per day to take my kids to and from the bus stop for school. The door to the basement haunted me, each time I saw it. I am really surprised that DNA didn't come through on this one or some sort of connection. Donna's poor mother passed just recently and it breaks my heart she never got answers.
 

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