MD MD - Vanessa Johnson-Sosin, 39, Rockville, 8 Feb 2003

This murder was in Rockville Md approx 13 yrs ago.I have been out of area and curios.( she owned the store)..They were interested in the husband as I remember......THanks

http://www.gazette.net/stories/05262010/rocknew214958_32551.php

On Feb. 8, 2003, the body of Johnson-Sosin was discovered in the back room of her In Style consignment shop on West Montgomery Avenue after the business was reported to have caught fire. Investigators determined she had been stabbed to death and the fire was set to cover up the killing.

Witnesses reported seeing a large African-American woman between 30 and 40, wearing a black puffy coat and black pill-box-style hat with earflaps enter and leave the store shortly before the fire began.

A suspect never has been named... Hamill has said that police could not write off the possibility that the person who entered the shop was a man dressed as a woman...

Police later determined one item was missing from the store, a unique mink coat that Johnson-Sosin had received as a gift from her husband, Cliff Sosin of North Potomac. Police had hoped the coat would lead them to the killer.

Sosin initially was cooperative with police, but later declined to speak with them after details of his personal life were revealed, including that he participated in online dating chat rooms while he was married. He retained an attorney, although police did not name him as a suspect.

Click to expand...

Has anyone been able to check whether her husband had since remarried. If he did then was it right after her death. I know he was away but it always seems suss or too perfect

Reddit Forum discusses this case. I think she knew her killer.

Who killed Vanessa Johnson-Sosin? : UnresolvedMysteries

"Feb. 8, 2003/Rockville, Maryland A 39 year a old woman was found stabbed to death and then set on fire in her second-hand clothing store. Nothing was stolen (a fair amount of cash, her nice car and diamond jewelry were left), besides a long black mink coat. Her life was seemingly perfect; before after the murder, it was revealed that her husband was using dating websites and meeting up with women while married to Vanessa (including the day of her murder). He is not considered a suspect by investigators because his alibi is confirmed. The only known suspect is a vague description of a tall black woman, wearing a pillbox style hat with ear flaps and a long puffy black coat. This woman was seen by a mother and daughter shopping at Vanessa's store shortly before the murder. She was also seen by the mailman running out of her store as smoke started rising outside the shop. DNA evidence at the scene was from both a man and woman, so it has not been ruled out to be a man dressed as a woman.

Something about this case haunts me, very limited information is out there, and it is pretty much only local interest. It seems like her family is desperate for answers and I really hope one day the killer is found so they can be at peace. Was anyone living in the area when it happened? Anyone hear anything recently? Any theories?"

Washington Examiner article dated October 14, 2010. Here are some excerpts and more at the link.

Consignment store owner's murder unsolved

On Feb. 8, 2003, firefighters responded to a fire at the In Style Consignment Shop in Rockville and ended up stumbling on a murder that remains a mystery today.

Montgomery County firefighters fought their way through the smoke and flames, and found the body of 39-year-old shop owner Vanessa Johnson Sosin. Police said the fire was set on purpose to cover up a deadly stabbing.

More than seven years later, Montgomery County police still haven't found Sosin's killer.

A woman and her daughter told police that a heavy-set woman came into the store that day, and Johnson Sosin greeted the woman as if she had known her.

They heard Sosin say to the woman, "Oh, hi, what do you have for me today?"

Twenty minutes later, a mailman saw the same woman run from shop and smoke come from the building. He called 911.

America's Most Wanted Fans post Feb 4, 2016 at 2:41pm

Unknown Vanessa Sosin Killer- Maryland- 2003 | America's Most Wanted Fans (an unofficial fan page for America's Most Wanted & In Pursuit with John Walsh)

Arson investigator Lt. Brian Anderson of the Montgomery County Fire Department determined the killer came in intending to set the fire. He says the killer brought a funnel, a gas can, rubber gloves, and plastic bottles. The bottles were all filled with the same mixture ... a mixture of gasoline and 2-cycle oil generally used for power lawn equipment, like chain saws. Despite this, Lt. Anderson does not believe it was a professional arsonist, saying "They didn't understand enough to get the fire to trail back to where the body was; that they needed to have a continuous ignitable trail back to that point."

Blood spatter expert Dr. Bill Vosburgh analyzed the crime scene and theorized Vanessa was dragged back to the store's bathroom at knifepoint, then stabbed in the carotid artery. Smudges on the doorframe indicate her attacker is likely to be tall...anywhere from 5'10" to 6'2". This height could indicate her attacker was a man.

Police checked out homeless shelters and homeless service organizations in the neighborhood. They checked her business associates. They checked her friends, both new and old, and found no one among them to have any motive or means or opportunity to hurt her. Her husband Cliff, came under investigation when detectives got a tip he was actively dating women he met on the internet. Detectives learned he even had a date scheduled the night Vanessa was killed. The outing of his hidden life caused a rift in the family, and Cliff is now estranged from Vanessa's mother and sister. He blames the police for this, but they say he is no longer a suspect in his wife's murder and welcome his help in their investigation.

America's Most Wanted Episode on this case, click on it to use Vimeo and you'll see it.

ISarahlouise said:

Has anyone been able to check whether her husband had since remarried. If he did then was it right after her death. I know he was away but it always seems suss or too perfect

Click to expand...

In the America's Most Wanted video they state the husband remarried but subsequently divorced.