A cold case that has haunted Garfield Heights residents for more than six decades has moved one step closer to being solved. The Garfield Heights Police Department announced that investigators have identified a person of interest in the homicide of 16-year-old Beverly Jarosz.
Beverly's brutal Dec. 28, 1964, stabbing remains the city's most notorious unsolved case. In the decades since she was killed, her family maintained the belief that she knew her killer, and it was someone who stalked her and was obsessed with her.
According to Garfield Heights Police, an individual around Beverley's age, previously under the investigative microscope — and whose name investigators are withholding for the time being — was interviewed after her death, but there was a lack of evidence.
Now, following recent case analysis and witness testimony, the department has officially flagged him as a "person of significant interest."
Even though the department isn't releasing the man's name, it did share some details about why he became a prominent figure in the case.
- He was a well-known friend of Beverly, someone who spent time in her home and someone she would have felt comfortable letting in.
- He frequently carried a knife and rope, which were part of his known hobbies; both a knife and rope were used in her killing.
- His alibi had inconsistencies, and the people he said he was with on the day of Beverly's death have refused to further cooperate with the police.
"The Garfield Heights Police Department has never let this case rest despite the passage of time. Countless hours of interviews with the male's acquaintances, submission of evidence to labs for additional testing, surveillance, and undercover investigation have been conducted in recent years to obtain further evidence on this individual. Upon focusing on this person, we've sought additional help from other law enforcement agencies, organizations and professionals who agree with our conclusion, and we are grateful for the support we have received," the Garfield Police said.
The department is asking anyone with information about the case to contact Det. Mark Menary by calling his office line 216-475-5686, texting his cell at 216-894-7631, or emailing him at mmenary@garfieldhts.org.
Beverly's case was highlighted in 2018 by News 5.
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