Wisconsin Cold Case Solved: Woman Shot In Head Over 'Snitching' Worry

RACINE COUNTY, WI — A 17-year-old cold case in which a mother of three who was shot in the head and left in Racine County has been solved after evidence in a different case provided authorities with the break they needed.

The case of, Juanita Zdroik, a 39-year-old mother of three, had been left unsolved since the day of her murder in August 2000, when two men pulled her out of her car, shot her and ran over her body.

Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling was one of the first responders to the scene 17 years ago. He came upon the body of Zdroik after she was murdered. On Monday, Schmaling said that grisly scene has stayed with him all these years.

"I am here to talk about a heart-wrenching murder and the brutal execution of Juanita Zdroik, a 39-year-old mother of three," Schmaling said Monday morning. "Nearly 18 years ago, I was one of the first deputy sheriffs on the scene, and I can assure you, I will never forget that chilling morning when I was dispatched for a call of a body on the side of the road."

In the Monday press conference in Racine County, Schmaling explained that advances in forensic evidence processing ultimately led Milwaukee police and the Racine County sheriff's office to connect two horrific and related crimes. The first was a double-homicide on Aug. 23, 2000 in Milwaukee, and the second was the later incident in which Zdroik was shot in the head and abandoned in Racine County.

The Fatal Night

At that time the sheriff's office conducted a thorough investigation, which remained opened as investigators followed lead after lead without making sufficient progress to prosecute the case. One lead, developed in August 2010, provided authorities with testimony linking Miguel A. Cruz and Elias Burgos to the crime. It would be seven more years before the two shootings of Aug. 23, 2000 would be connected — and the murder of Zdroik solved.

On the night Aug. 23, 2000, a drug-related shooting left two men dead in Milwaukee. Investigators say Zdroik's vehicle, with Zdroik at the wheel, was used to drive to the shooting scene. After the shooting, the man who committed the crime reportedly struck a match and lit her car on fire. According to the 2010 testimony, a male witness traveled with Cruz and Burgos to that fiery scene and was with them until her demise in Racine County.

According to the witness, they pulled up to the scene in a different car and told the shooter they would take Zdroik to get "some money and a new car" after her car went up in flames, according to information in the criminal complaint.

As Cruz, Burgos and Zdroik left the shooter, two dead bodies and her flaming car behind, Zdroik was said to be "hysterical and crying" and saying "he killed them" over and over, the witness said in the criminal complaint. After several minutes of driving, the witness who was traveling with them told authorities that Zdroik noticed they were no longer on the way to Chicago. He saw Miguel Cruz get out of the car open the door on the front passenger-side where Zdroik was seated and pull her out of the van. He said she was attempting to hold onto the van while Cruz pulled her, according to the the criminal complaint.

The criminal complaint also reveals that the witness said he saw Cruz shoot Zdroik once in the right side of her head near the back with the same .22- or .25-caliber black-and-chrome gun that was reportedly used in the shooting earlier that evening. The witness stated that she immediately fell to the ground in the gravel area, at which time Cruz re-entered the van and stated, "This is what happens to snitches!"

The witness said that Burgos then ran over her driving forward before backing up and running over her body again to make sure she was dead. He said they returned to Milwaukee and that Cruz and Burgos kept saying, "This is what happens to snitches," the criminal complaint said.

The Break

In January 2017, the Racine County Sheriff's investigative team received information from the Milwaukee Police Department regarding the double homicide in Milwaukee on that night in August 2000. Milwaukee police told investigators it might be connected to the murder of Zdroik nearly 17 years ago. The critical piece of information was this: blood from one of the two men who were shot earlier that evening also appeared on the Zdroik's pant leg. That evidence had been stored for nearly two decades before the critical missing link between the cases could be established.

Through an investigation, Racine Sheriff investigators identified Cruz and Burgos as two primary suspects in this case. On Aug. 28, Cruz was located in Tampa, Florida, where he is awaiting extradition.

A warrant has been issued for Burgos, who is believed to be hiding in Puerto Rico.

Zdroik left behind two daughters and a son. Family members are anxious for closure, Schmaling said Monday, but somber when they think of their mother's last moments.

Image via Racine County Sheriff's Office