Key West The Newspaper

 

A 58-year-old man has been charged with murder in the death of a woman whose nude body was found by a fisherman Wednesday afternoon in a wooded area just north of the Vaca Cut Bridge in Marathon.

Detectives were called to the scene about 2 p.m. Wednesday after an angler fishing from shore reported finding the body.

The victim appeared to have been dragged off a walking trail into nearby brush. Detectives found parts of a vehicle and damage to trees and brush at the scene which suggested a vehicle had traversed the area.

Detectives used those parts to find a van [shown here] at the Marathon Kmart parking lot hours later. Wolf was detained on scene for questioning at that time.

Detectives found blood in the van that tested positive as human. Where that blood came from is part of the ongoing investigation.

Police believe the woman died by strangulation but a formal determination of cause of death and whether she was sexually assaulted remains part of the ongoing investigation, part of which includes the pending autopsy.

Detectives continue to ask for the public’s help in identifying the woman. She is a 50- to 60-year-old, white, female with shoulder-length, sandy brown hair and blue eyes. She is about 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8 and weighs between 150 to 180 pounds. She has no tattoos.

Detectives have used her fingerprints in an effort to identify her. They have also cross-referenced all available information in law enforcement databases, including facial recognition software, in an attempt to identify her. Those efforts have thus far been unsuccessful.

Detectives ask any residents who may have seen Wolf, particularly between 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20 and 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21, to please contact them. Wolf is a 5-foot-6, white male who weighs 131 pounds. [See photo above]

If anyone has seen the van in the photo above, also particularly in the times referenced, please contact Crime Stoppers [see how below].

Steven Matthew Wolf of Marathon was charged with second-degree murder, failure to report a death and evidence tampering. Wolf remains in jail under no bail.

[wds id=”99″]

Sheriff Rick Ramsay thanked Monroe County State Attorney Dennis Ward, Assistant State Attorney Colleen Dunne as well as Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Criminal Investigations Unit detectives as well as Road Patrol Deputies who all took part in locating and detaining Wolf within hours of the woman’s body being found.

“This is a very sad case that began while most residents were enjoying time with their families and friends for Thanksgiving,” Ramsay said. “I’m very pleased and thankful to our Major Crimes Unit and Criminal Investigations Unit detectives, our Road Patrol Deputies as well as our partners at the State Attorney’s Office who rose to the occasion to make a very timely arrest, ensuring there was no ongoing threat to our community.”

Anyone with information about Wolf’s whereabouts before the woman’s body was found as well as where his van was located or anyone with information that could help identify the woman is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-471-8477. Tipsters can remain anonymous and if a tip leads to an arrest in the case, the caller may be eligible for a cash reward. Tips may also be submitted online at www.floridakeyscrimestoppers.com or via a text message using the smartphone app called P3 Phone. Tips can also be submitted via social media such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using the @CrimeStoppers305 hashtag.

~~~

Note: Information in this crime report was provided by area law enforcement. Please remember all suspects are innocent until proven guilty.