There’s a new lead in the unsolved 1992 kidnapping and killing of Tammy Zywicki, a college student who was found fatally stabbed along a stretch of highway in Missouri nearly 34 years ago.
Illinois State Police announced on Sunday, August 23 — the 34th anniversary of the last known sighting of Zywicki — that investigators have identified a person of interest who they are seeking more information about in their ongoing investigation, which also involves the FBI.
Zywicki, then 21 years old, vanished on August 23, 1992, after she set off from Evanston, Illinois, on a drive to her college located in Grinnell, Iowa, state police said in a news release.
However, she never made it to her college that night, and her car was found abandoned that same day, according to police.
More than a week later, Zywicki was discovered dead near Interstate 44 in an area of Lawrence County, Missouri, on September 1, 1992, police said.
An “unknown” male semi-truck driver considered a suspect in the case was reported to have been “seen near Tammy’s vehicle” around the time frame associated with her disappearance and death, according to authorities.
Now authorities want to learn more about the recently identified person of interest, Theresa “Teri” Belenske, who was said to have possibly been on the road with the truck driver before Zywicki was killed, police said. The driver was said to be a white man with “dark, bushy hair,” potentially between the ages of 35 and 40, and more than 6-feet tall.
“Belenske is not a suspect, but a person of interest,” police said. “Special agents are looking for information about Belenske from the late 1980’s through the mid 1990’s.”
Belenske, whose maiden name was Theresa Vega, “was known to hitch hike” and died in 2014, when she was 54, according to police.
Belenske is linked to several cities in California, including Fontana, Oceanside, Pomona, Vista and San Bernardino, according to police.
As authorities seek more information about her, they continue to investigate different leads and evidence from the cold case.
The FBI has offered up to a $50,000 reward for information that leads to a suspect or suspects involved in Zywicki’s death.
Illinois State Police have shared photos of Zywicki, the car she had driven before her death, as well as personal items belonging to her that had disappeared, including a watch. They also released a 2009 image of Belenske and an AI generated photo of what she might’ve looked like in 1992.
Police said “Anyone with information about Tammy’s killing, or Belenske and who she traveled with during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, can leave a crime tip at our ISP Investigative Tips page or call 1- 800-CALL-FBI.”
