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Rape suspect queried in slaying
By LEANORA MINAI
© St. Petersburg Times, ST. PETERSBURG -- A man arrested and charged with sexual battery last week is being questioned in connection with the September murder of Kelly Ostroski. Daniel Dunnuck, 31, was arrested Thursday after a 28-year-old St. Petersburg woman identified him as the man who raped her on Sept. 15. While detectives interviewed Dunnuck in that case, Dunnuck told them he was with Ostroski an hour before she was found dead Sept. 30. "All he's saying is it was a happenstance meeting," homicide Sgt. Mike Puetz said. "What we're trying to do is get information out about him, so people come forward and fill in the gaps about him." Ostroski, 30, was found partly naked in an industrial area beside the Pinellas Trail north of the intersection of Eighth Avenue S and 46th Street. Dunnuck, a landscaper who has lived in motels along 34th Street N, is being held in the Pinellas County Jail on the sexual battery charge. Bail is $100,000. Police say that at 3 a.m. Sept. 15, Dunnuck asked a 28-year-old woman if she wanted a ride. She told him she wanted to go to Fifth Avenue N and 34th Street, but he drove past the location. She tried to get out of the car, but the man choked her, and she lost consciousness, police said. The man had sex with her at 26th Avenue and 24th Street N. The woman then fled the car and asked a witness to help her. While investigating that assault, detectives were told about Dunnuck's connection to Ostroski. Puetz said Ostroski and Dunnuck were seen walking together in the area of Fifth Avenue S and 34th Street on Sept. 30. About an hour later, Ostroski was found dead. Police said she was shot elsewhere and dumped near the Pinellas Trail. Police said Dunnuck may be involved in other assaults. "There may be some women out there who have had contact with this guy and never reported it," Puetz said. Anyone with information is asked to call Detectives Carl Watts, (727) 551-3352, or Denise Schmidt, (727) 893-4259.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
