ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — With the help of modern DNA technology, the St. Petersburg Police Department was able to close a 25-year-old cold case murder, the agency announced Friday.
Michael Scheumeister's body was found in the early morning of Aug. 14, 1997, near Mirror Lake Library, according to a news release. Police say he was outside, lying on his back with his pants pockets turned inside out.
The medical examiner's report determined that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and neck.
Detectives believe robbery was the motive. "He had cashed his paycheck earlier that day and his money and wallet were missing," they wrote in the release.
Investigators learned that Scheumeister had been out at a bar the night before with Patricia Morris. "During an interview with a detective, Morris admitted to having drinks with the victim that night and leaving in a taxi together but stated the two went their separate ways after being dropped off by the taxi," police said.
With the help of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), detectives say Morris' DNA was found on the inside of Scheumeister's front and rear pant pockets.
On May 18, 2016, a criminal history report of Morris indicated she had an extensive history of prostitution, battery on law enforcement officers and narcotic offenses. It also indicated that Morris died on Sept.19, 2010, in Hillsborough County.
The agency says due to this latest DNA evidence, the case is now considered closed with the death of the offender.
"I was completely taken aback," his brother, Rory Scheumeister, said. "I was like, 'wow, I didn't even know you guys were looking into it.'"
Rory Scheumeister, a former police officer himself, described his brother as a fun, free-spirited man. His brother would hitchhike across the country and said he was also a U.S. Navy veteran.
The lack of evidence available for him at the time suggested it was a random robbery and attack in the late hours. He didn't know about Morris at all, he said.
He said he's thankful for the cold case unit's work and hopes it will allow more cases like his to be solved.
There are currently 218 open cold cases within the department and some going back as far as the 1960s, police said.