Dorota “Dorothy” Dziubak, a 30-year-old White female of Polish descent, was found dead on January 10, 1997, in her home on the North Side of Chicago. A single mother and immigrant from Poland, she lived with her 5-year-old daughter, who was fortunately not present at the time of the incident. Firefighters responded to a blaze at her residence and discovered her body inside. Although there were no signs of forced entry or struggle, the medical examiner determined that she had been strangled. There was also suspicion of sexual assault, though this could not be conclusively confirmed during the autopsy.
Investigators learned that Dorota Dziubak had recently been in contact with a man interested in purchasing her home. A friend of the victim recalled that she had expressed unease about this prospective buyer. Phone records revealed that she had received a call from a nearby payphone on the day of her death, but no usable evidence was recovered from the phone or surrounding area. The case remained unsolved for a time, with few leads and no immediate suspects.
The investigation eventually linked Dorota Dziubak's murder to a series of similar crimes committed by Paul Frederick Runge, a White male serial killer born in Oak Forest, Illinois. Runge targeted women through classified ads and lured them to isolated locations under false pretenses. He was later convicted of multiple murders, including that of Dorota Dziubak, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His crimes spanned from 1995 to 1997 and included the brutal killings of several women and children. Runge's arrest and conviction brought long-awaited justice to the families of his victims, including that of 30-year-old White female Dorota Dziubak.
