On December 20, 1987, the body of 17-year-old Barbara Blatnik was discovered in a wooded area off O'Neil Road near Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Barbara had gone missing the previous night after visiting friends. Her body was found naked, and investigators determined that she had been raped and strangled. For decades, her murder remained unsolved, despite various efforts by law enforcement to gather new leads and identify her killer.
The breakthrough in the case came in 2020, thanks to advancements in DNA technology. DNA evidence collected from Barbara’s body was analyzed with the help of forensic genealogy, funded by The Porchlight Project, a non-profit organization that supports families of missing and murdered individuals. This led to the identification of James E. Zastawnik, a 67-year-old man from Cleveland, who was subsequently charged with Barbara’s murder. Zastawnik's arrest marked a significant moment in a case that had remained cold for more than 30 years. He was linked to the crime after DNA from the crime scene matched samples from his family members, and he was officially charged with first-degree murder in May 2020.
The arrest brought a sense of closure to Barbara’s family, who had spent decades without answers. Her sister, Donna Zanath, expressed shock and relief at the news of an arrest, describing Barbara as a vibrant young woman who loved music and was preparing to be the maid of honor in her sister’s wedding. The arrest of Zastawnik, who pleaded not guilty, was made possible by combining modern forensic methods with dedicated cold-case investigations by the Cuyahoga Falls Police Department, working in conjunction with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and The Porchlight Project.
