FL FL - Dr. Ruth Haut, 41, Osceola County, 26 Feb 1992

[ruthhaut92murder]

Sheriff: Decades-old murder case still active investigation

Sheriff: Decades-old murder case still active investigation


By Danielle Lama, FOX 35 Orlando
Posted Feb 26 2019 11:11PM EST

Video Posted Feb 26 2019 11:55PM EST

Updated Feb 27 2019 12:05AM EST

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (FOX 35 Orlando) - Tuesday marked exactly 27 years since an Osceola County woman was abducted. Ruth Haut was later found dead in an orange grove.

Family members and investigators on Tuesday held a vigil to remember Haut and bring attention to the unsolved case.

“She would have done anything for anybody. There was no reason for this person to do this. The big question is why,” said Jean Wagner, Haut’s partner.

Osceola County deputies say, on February 26, 1992, Haut was kidnapped from her office on John Young Parkway in Kissimmee, where she was worked as a chiropractor. Then, someone was caught on camera using her ATM card at a bank in Vero Beach. The next morning, investigators say the 41-year-old was found stabbed to death in an orange grove in st. Cloud.


Nephew Stephen Madonna created a Facebook page dedicated to the case.

“The family needs closure. Her sisters are not doing well health wise. They would like to finally get closure on that,” Madonna said.

The sheriff in Osceola County says the investigation is active, but his agency released few details about any potential leads

“Twenty-seven years, four sheriffs later, we’re working this case,” said Sheriff Russ Gibson. "The potential killer, if still alive, he or she could be watching this program right now. We want to be careful what we say, we don’t want to play our cards like that.”

Haut’s loved ones are convinced someone knows something. They’re hoping that person will come forward. There is a $5,000 reward for information on the case.”

Update: Up to $10,000 reward.

 

[dotr]

Ruth Haut – Project: Cold Case

(image via Justice for Ruth Haut Facebook)
October 7, 2019 | By Nathan Dean

"This story is part of a collaborative project between Project: Cold Case and a University of North Florida Journalism class. The student credited above wrote this story as a class project.

Dr. Ruth Haut was beloved throughout her community. She helped countless people as a chiropractor. Her family claims she would do anything to help a loved one.

Ruth had the ability to fill the room with laughter. “Her sense of humor always cracks you up,” Jean Wagner said of her partner. “One year, Ruth had me pick out the funniest looking dress for her sister, Barbara. The dress had turkeys on it and that’s how I met her sister.”

“That’s how funny she was. She always liked to make people laugh,” Wagner recalled. “So last Thanksgiving, I wore a turkey hat in her honor.”

Not only did Ruth enjoy making people laugh, she had a very strong relationship with her family. Especially her sisters. The Haut family was incredibly close.

“Ruth loved talking to her sisters,” Wagner said. “She would call them almost every day.”

A caring, humorous lady was taken from her community, friends, and family in early 1992.

With a soft tone, Wagner shares her memory of February 26, the day Ruth didn’t come home from work.

“I was going to work, and she was going to make pork chops for dinner that night. I left during the afternoon of the incident. The chiropractor she worked at was only a block or two away. I called the office and it went to a robotic voice message. When I got home, her car was not there. That’s when I knew something wasn’t right.”

Dr. Haut worked at the Robinson Chiropractic Clinic in the southern portion of Kissimmee, Florida. It was there that she was kidnapped by her assailant.

The following day, a child riding on a school bus reportedly spotted something in an orange grove near St. Cloud, a neighboring city across Lake Tohopekaliga.

Dr. Ruth Haut was 41.

The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office website has Haut’s case listed and shares a bit more information of what happened that night. Ruth Haut’s ATM card was used at an ATM in Vero Beach, roughly 100 miles away.

The ATM cameras captured the suspect wearing a “green short-sleeved shirt with two buttoned pockets on each side and a hooded sweatshirt” covering their face.

It is believed that the ATM was used before Haut’s body was dumped back in St. Cloud. The round-trip from Kissimmee to Vero Beach and back to St. Cloud is roughly 3 hours.

Wagner and Haut lived together for four years prior to the incident. The nearly three decades since her partner and friend was taken have been difficult. Wagner remembers the good times they had. She keeps a positive outlook on life, much like Ruth was known for.

Stephen Madonna was only 4 years old when his aunt was murdered. Madonna has spent much of his life questioning what happened in the unsolved murder of his Aunt Ruth.

“In 2012, the case was reopened,” Madonna said. “I got in touch with law enforcement to see more things that they could do. I even contacted governors and FBI agents. Just not a whole lot has come out of it.”

Madonna continues to stay in contact with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office in order to keep Ruth’s name on people’s minds and to make sure her story is never forgotten.

“I keep bothering them,” Madonna said. “One of the lieutenants told me that he wants to solve her case by the time he retires from the Sheriff’s Office. That gives me some hope.”

On the 27th anniversary of Ruth’s passing, her family gathered in her honor. Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson gathered alongside the mourning family. He told the News-Gazette that “this case is very much active. We’re trying to generate new leads. Somebody must have seen something.”

Since the passing of Dr. Haut, family members have been running a Facebook page, Justice For Ruth Haut – 1992 Unsolved Cold Case in Osceola County, Florida, and offering a reward for information leading to bringing justice to the case.

“The Facebook page has been somewhat successful so far,” Madonna said. “People have reached out.”

The time without Ruth has been long and disappointing for her friends and loved ones. Although her physical presence is no longer here, Ruth’s family believes that she is still with them spiritually and they refuse to give up.

“We will never stop fighting back,” Wagner said. “I know she is with me every day and I will not stop until I find the person that did this.”

If you have any information on the unsolved murder of Ruth Haut, please contact the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office (407) 348-2222. To remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a reward upwards of $10,000, call Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477."

 

[PayrollNerd]

Posted 2/6/2021

Justice For Ruth Haut - 1992 Unsolved Cold Case in Osceola County, Florida

I’m sad to report that Ruth’s sister, my grandmother, has passed away. She helped me get Ruth’s case reopened in March 2018 after 26 years of her case being cold. We’ve come along way with the
Osceola County Sheriff's Office
. It’s just sad, Ruth’s sister will not get to see the person or persons pay for what they did to her sister. I will continue to fight for justice for Aunt Ruth. I love you Grandma

She is finally reunited with her sister. Jean said give Ruth a hug for her

 

[PayrollNerd]

Posted 1/25/2021

Spectrum 13 interview with Jean Wagner
Spectrum 13 interview with Jean Wagner

 

[dotr]

2012

 

[ruthhaut92murder]

UNSOLVED MURDER
Family, Friends Seek Justice, 29 Years After Osceola Chiropractor's Murder


On February 26, 1992, Ruth Haut, a chiropractor in Kissimmee, was kidnapped from the office where she worked, Sandra Roberts Chiropractors Clinic.

Little of the evidence in the case is public, but detectives have released a picture of a suspect using Haut's card at an ATM in Vero Beach, prior to dumping her body.

Her loved ones are calling on people to come forward with information.

“I know someone knows, and they don’t wanna speak, Jean Wagner, Haut’s partner, said. “Well, this year is the year. You need to speak.”

Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said older homicides are challenging because Osceola County doesn’t have a cold-case detective, Sheriff Marcos Lopez said.

“If we can get grant money for cold-case files, that could be a blessing because then we can have more money and more detectives, more eyes on any cold case in order to bring closure to the families,” Lopez explained.

Haut’s body was found on the outskirts of St. Cloud on East Hickory Tree Road. She was stabbed about a dozen times, and her throat was slit. A bloody shirt was found next to her body, facing down.

A $10,000 reward is available for any information leading to an arrest on this case. For tips, contact CrimeLine at: 1-800-423-TIPS.

 

[ruthhaut92murder]

Plea for answers in 29-year-old cold case involving murder Osceola County woman

ST. CLOUD, Fla. - Friday marked 29 years since Osceola County woman Ruth Haut was abducted.

Haut was a chiropractor working late at her office when, according to Osceola County sheriff's detectives, she was kidnapped and murdered.

"Twenty-nine years rollercoaster. It never gets easy," said Jean Wagner, Ruth Haut’s girlfriend. "I turned on the news and that is when they were saying, chiropractor, missing and I remember the guy holding up her black shoes, and that is when I found out."

We know after her disappearance from her office, someone was caught on camera using her ATM card at a bank in Vero Beach. The next morning, deputies found her stabbed to death in an Orange Grove in Saint Cloud.

"No one should die like that. She was stabbed over 12 times," Wagner said.

Her killer was never found, but with each passing year, the family says they never lost hope.

"I would bug the sheriff and if the detective didn’t respond I would bug the sergeant...then I would write the governor, write the senator, I would write the president, just until something got done," said Stephen Madonna, Ruth’s nephew.

Deputies said the cold case is still active and encourage anyone with information to come forward.

"It has to be solved. It has just been too long. We are not going to stop," Wagner said.

If you have any information about this case, contact Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477)

 

[dotr]

The perp stabbed Dr Haut twelve times and slit her throat, did he really need to inflict that much violence to get what he wanted, what might that say about him?
The thought that this brutal killer is still roaming the streets is horrifying, he must be identified and caged, hoping there is DNA or the right tip comes in soon! imo. speculation.

 

[ruthhaut92murder]

Killer or killers...
she was working as a security officer a year or two before she was killed. She would’ve fought off this punk short piece of poo.

 

[dotr]

 

[ruthhaut92murder]

From @Project Cold Case Facebook:

“Ruth Haut was working at her chiropractic practice when she was kidnapped. The 41-year-old doctor was later found in an orange grove over an hour's drive away.

Not Forgotten is a new series of minute-long videos highlighting unsolved cases.

Thanks to our friends at CROP Creative Media for their work on these videos. “

 

[ruthhaut92murder]

“KISSIMMEE, Fla. - On the 30th anniversary of Ruth Haut’s kidnapping and murder, her family just wants justice.

"I went to work first, and I said goodbye to her, told her I loved her," her longtime partner Jean Wagner said, remembers their last conversation.

That was February 26, 1992. Haut went to work at a Kissimmee chiropractor’s office where she rented a room. Her partner thinks it may have been a set-up, and that she was targeted.

"A week before she passed she was talking to my grandmother who passed away last year, and she was saying she’s not happy at that place," said her nephew Stephen Madonna.

The next day, investigators said a child on a school bus spotted something from the window in an orange grove in Saint Cloud. It was Ruth’s body.

A news report is how Wagner found out she was killed. Ruth was stabbed to death.

"I turned the station on right away, and they showed a police officer holding her shoes," Wagner recalls.

Investigators said someone used her debit card at an ATM in Vero Beach. That suspect was captured on camera but hid their face in a sweatshirt. That person took out the last remaining dollars from her bank account.

"She only had 14 dollars in her checking account, I was supporting her, she only had 10 patients," Wagner said.

In 2019, her family held a vigil outside the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. The family now just hoping someone comes forward with information to solve this case.

Crimeline is offering a $5000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. Call 800-423-TIPS (8477)”

Central Florida's True Crime Files: Family of slain chiropractor wants justice

On the 30th anniversary of Ruth Haut’s kidnapping and murder, her family just wants justice. Haut left for work at a chiropractor's office and never returned.

www.wogx.com

 

[dotr]

Could the perps be a male and female team? speculation.

POLICE SEEK PROFILE OF CHIROPRACTOR'S KILLER

www.orlandosentinel.com

1992 rbbm.
''KISSIMMEE — Investigators in the unsolved killing of chiropractor Dr. Ruth Haut have requested a psychological profile of her killer.

The profile by Dr. Ronald Holmes, a University of Louisville criminologist, may provide insight into the killer's age, sex, education and background, Osceola County Sheriff's Detective Kerwin King said Friday.''


''An earlier attempt to produce new leads failed. Sheriff Jon Lane had released a photograph of a suspect using Haut's automatic teller machine card at a SunBank branch on Route AIA in Vero Beach. The slightly built, 5-foot-2-inch to 5-foot-5-inch suspect wore a hooded sweatshirt as a disguise.''

''Information released Friday included the sighting of a white 1979 Monte Carlo sedan parked in front of Haut's office the night of her death. ''

About the same time, another witness reported seeing a white sedan driving erratically northward on Bermuda Avenue near Haut's office. The car then sped east on Vine Street, King said, and there may have been two people in it.

When Haut disappeared, she had been waiting for a new patient at her office. Police would not release the name but said the patient's telephone number was assigned to an unconnected cellular telephone.''

 

[ruthhaut92murder]

Loved ones of Osceola woman found dead in orange grove in 1992 still searching for answers

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. —
The loved ones of an Osceola County chiropractor who was found dead in an orange grove 30 years ago are still searching for answers.

Just a couple of years ago, the Florida Sheriff’s Association added an additional $5,000 to the reward for information.

The family said they’ve finally secured a meeting with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office after months of trying.

Jean Wagner was Ruth Haut’s girlfriend at the time she was killed in 1992.

She recalls the moments she learned Haut was gone.

“I was working at Disney, and I got home like 10 after 10, and she was supposed to have dinner ready for me. She always made dinner after work,” Wagner said.

Wagner said when she noticed Haut wasn’t there, she called her office.


When she didn’t get an answer, she drove there and found the door open. She called the police.

“They dragged me to the station 'til 4:30 a.m. asking me all kinds of questions, and I was just trying to think what could’ve happened to her, someone took her,” she said.

She said Haut’s body was found in an orange grove the next day and that the person who did this used her card at an ATM that evening.

Years later, Haut’s nephew, Stephen Madonna, created a Facebook page and got the case re-opened.

“I remember where my grandma was when she got the phone call about them reopening it,” Madonna said.

He’s the one who will be meeting with detectives.

His goal is to get the sheriff’s office to open a cold case unit in hopes of finding answers for his family and others.

“I know there’s at least four cold cases from 1992 that are just sitting there collecting dust,” Madonna said.

"The family and I want justice for what this person has done,” Wagner said.

Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez confirmed the sheriff’s office doesn’t have a cold case unit. He says they do, however, have detectives that work on cases like these.

Loved ones of Osceola woman found dead in orange grove in 1992 still searching for answers

The family's goal is to get the sheriff’s office to open a cold case unit in hopes of finding answers.

www.wesh.com

 

[dotr]

VIDEO AND TRANSCRIPT OF VIDEO @ LINK.
Aug 18, 2022 rbbm.

Family of 30 year-old cold case victim meets with sheriff's office, searches for answers

Loved ones of an Osceola County chiropractor who was found dead in an orange grove 30 years ago are still searching for answers.

www.wesh.com

''Her great-nephew, Stephen Madonna, met with Osceola County Sheriff Marco Lopez and detectives Thursday.

“A lot of information to process,” Madonna said.

After a nearly two-hour meeting, he says they ran out of time, but they did answer some of his questions and provided an update on the case that they say they are still working on.

Next, they’re hoping to get playing cards, created by Project Cold Case, into the county jail, in hopes someone knows something.

“Ruth’s number 7 of clubs and then there are other ones like Bonnie Goodson from the same year. She’s on one of the cards. Somebody does know something, I wish they would just come forward. I mean 30 years, you know,” Madonna said.''


''Madonna said there was one named suspect in Haut’s case that he’d like to see officials look into further.

His overall goal is to seek justice.

“Justice for Ruth of course. Justice for the other families that may share the same suspect and just awareness of the cold cases that are just sitting there collecting dust,” Madonna said.''

 

[ruthhaut92murder]