Two longstanding cold cases in Florida have been resolved, as authorities announced recently.
Both incidents—a stabbing from 2007 and a shooting in 2022—occurred in Kissimmee. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office’s Cold Case Program successfully cracked these cases, according to FOX 35 Orlando.
The first case dates back to June 24, 2007, when 17-year-old De’Andre Nathaniel Wellnitz was fatally stabbed in the chest while at a house party. This investigation turned cold within months.
De’Andre Nathaniel Wellnitz was killed at a party in Osceola County, Florida, on June 24, 2007. After 18 years, investigators concluded the case as self-defense. (Osceola County Sheriff’s Department)
In October 2024, detectives pinpointed a person of interest in Wellnitz’s death and tracked the individual to Orlando earlier this year.
During a meeting with investigators, the person admitted to attending the same party as Wellnitz. They revealed being struck during an altercation and responded by grabbing a kitchen knife and waving it to defend themselves, according to the authorities.
Investigators ultimately determined the person of interest acted in self-defense and declined to file charges.
Jommil Baez-Quinones was killed in a shooting in Osceola County, Fla., on Feb. 23, 2022. (Osceola County Sheriff’s Department)
“I appreciate the empathy that was shown as well as them being straightforward with all of the details,” Wellnitz’s mother, Kelly McDonald said, according to FOX 35. “What it has done for me has given me closure… I’m able to stop playing the story that I’ve played for 18 years over and over again in my head. I’m able to see something different. I’m able to have peace now.”
McDonald added that she hopes other families who have experienced a similar loss can also receive some sort of closure, “even if it’s not what you think it should be.”
The second case stemmed from the fatal shooting of Jommil Baez-Quinones, who was shot multiple times near Indian Point Circle on Feb. 23, 2022.
Luis Eluvar Gonzalez is charged with first-degree manslaughter with a weapon and first-degree robbery with a firearm in connection to the 2022 shooting of De’Andre Nathaniel Wellnitz in Osceola County, Florida. (Osceola County Sheriff’s Department)
After investigators spent months exhausting all leads, the case ultimately ran cold. However, in October 2024, authorities subsequently reopened the investigation.
Luis Eluvar Gonzalez, 23, was identified as a suspect and, with help from U.S. Marshals, was arrested by authorities. Gonzalez is charged with first-degree manslaughter with a weapon and first-degree robbery with a firearm stemming from the death of Baez-Quinones, according to FOX 35.
The sheriff’s Cold Case Program was formed in 2024 and has solved two cases out of the 32 that remain unsolved in the county.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
