Police in Florida make arrest in unsolved 1999 murder of Sherry Holtz

Almost 25 years after the murder of Sherry Holtz, police in Florida have finally arrested the man allegedly responsible.

Holtz’s former boyfriend Gary Durrance was taken into custody Thursday and booked into the Seminole County Jail on a charge of first-degree murder, NBC News reported.

This development came after the case was reopened in May 2023 and DNA evidence was again submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The results ultimately showed that the blood found on the murder weapon matched that of Durrance.

Holtz, a resident of Sanford, Florida, was found dead in a wooded area on Dec. 4, 1999, police spokeswoman Bianca Gillett said during a news conference Friday.

Gillet described a gruesome scene, noting that authorities found her with her throat slit and naked, “leaving most of her body exposed.” The “brutal murder” also showed signs of sexual assault and blunt force trauma, Gillet added.

Holtz was 50 years old at the time of her death and lived with Durrance and three other roommates.

During the investigation, a bloody knife was found near her body, but the sample size in those years was too small to allow a clear identification.

During the initial interview, it was determined that there had been an argument between Holtz and Durrance, which had resulted in him throwing her out of her house the day before the murder.

Roommates told police that Durrance was home the night Holtz was killed, but could not provide any information about his whereabouts throughout the evening.

Between 1996 and 1999, Sanford Police also responded to several domestic violence cases involving the couple.

Authorities now believe that Durrance is the only suspect. After his arrest, he admitted his involvement in Holtz’s murder.

“We are absolutely certain that the right man is behind bars,” Gillett said.