Authorities name new person of interest in college student murder case after 34 years
Investigators have identified a new person of interest in the decades-old kidnapping and murder of Iowa college student Tammy Zywicki, according to an announcement from the Illinois State Police and the FBI.
Aug. 23 marks 34 years since Zywicki disappeared while traveling from Evanston, Illinois, to Grinnell College in Iowa, where she was expected to arrive for classes in 1992. Despite years of investigation, her killing remains unsolved. Authorities said they continue to pursue new leads, review approximately 200 pieces of evidence, and retest items using modern DNA technology.
Investigators are now seeking information about Theresa “Teri” Belenske, whose maiden name was Theresa Vega. Belenske is not considered a suspect, but authorities have designated her as a person of interest because they believe she may have had a connection to an unidentified truck driver who has long been a focus of the investigation.
According to Illinois State Police, Belenske was known to hitchhike and may have traveled with the unknown suspect at some point before Zywicki's death. She would have been 32 years old in 1992 and died in 2014 at age 54. Investigators are specifically looking for information about Belenske's activities and associates from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s. Authorities said she had ties to several California communities, including Oceanside, Vista, Pomona, San Bernardino and Fontana.
Zywicki was last seen with her vehicle on Interstate 80 in LaSalle County, Illinois, between 3:10 and 4 p.m. on Aug. 23, 1992. She had been driving a white 1985 Pontiac T1000 from the Chicago area to Grinnell College. Later that day, an Illinois State Police trooper found the vehicle along the interstate and marked it as abandoned. The car was towed the following day after Zywicki's mother reported that her daughter had not arrived at school.
On Sept. 1, 1992, Zywicki's body was discovered along Interstate 44 in rural Lawrence County, Missouri, between Joplin and Springfield. Investigators determined she had been stabbed to death. Authorities have previously reported that a semitruck was seen near Zywicki's disabled vehicle around the time she disappeared. The truck driver was described as a white man between 35 and 40 years old, more than 6 feet tall, with dark, bushy hair.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the identification of the person or people responsible for Zywicki's murder. Anyone with information about the case, Belenske, or people she may have traveled with during the late 1980s and early 1990s is asked to submit a tip through the Illinois State Police tip portal or call 1-800-CALL-FBI. Anonymous tips are accepted.