Florida cold case breakthroughs: Sheriff’s unit cracks two long-unsolved killings
Osceola County's Cold Case Program resolves a 2007 stabbing and a 2022 shooting in Kissimmee, marking the unit's first successes.
Two Kissimmee-area cold cases have been solved, authorities said Tuesday, marking the first successes of the Osceola County Sheriff's Office's newly formed Cold Case Program. The cases, dating to 2007 and 2022, each ended with a resolution after years of investigation, the department said.
In the 2007 case, 17-year-old De’Andre Nathaniel Wellnitz was fatally stabbed during a house party on June 24, 2007. Investigators determined the death occurred during a fight and ruled it self-defense; the case went cold within months. In October 2024, investigators identified a person of interest and located the individual in Orlando earlier this year. The person of interest told investigators he attended the same party and had been struck during the fray; he said he picked up a kitchen knife and waved it to deter others. Investigators ultimately concluded the person acted in self-defense and declined to file charges. Wellnitz’s mother, Kelly McDonald, said the family has found closure and expressed gratitude for the investigators’ candor. "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," she said.
In the 2022 case, Jommil Baez-Quinones was shot multiple times near Indian Point Circle on Feb. 23, 2022. The case went cold but was reopened in October 2024. Investigators identified 23-year-old Luis Eluvar Gonzalez as a suspect and, with help from U.S. Marshals, arrested him. He is charged with first-degree manslaughter with a weapon and first-degree robbery with a firearm in connection with Baez-Quinones’ death.
The Cold Case Program, formed in 2024, has resolved two cases out of 32 remaining unsolved in the county, the sheriff’s office said. The program is designed to bring closure to families while applying new lines of inquiry to long-stalled investigations.
The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Wellnitz family’s response reflected relief, with McDonald saying the development offers a path to peace. "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," she said.
