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Osceola County detectives close two cold cases
Osceola County Sheriff’s Office detectives say two long-standing cold cases have now been closed, including a 2007 stabbing that left a 17-year-old dead.
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - Two cold cases in Osceola County have been solved, the Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday.
The cases—a fatal stabbing from 2007 and a fatal shooting from 2022—both happened in Kissimmee. Investigators with the agency’s Cold Case Program, which was formed in 2024, solved the cases.
The sheriff’s office will share more details about both cases during a news conference at 2:30 p.m.
Teen killed in stabbing at house party in 2007
The first case involved the fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old boy at a party in 2007.
De'Andre Nathaniel Wellnitz was stabbed and killed at a house party in 2007.
Eighteen years ago, De'Andre Nathaniel Wellnitz, 17, was stabbed in the chest while at a party at a house on Ivy Lane on June 24, 2007.
Investigators said the case went cold months into the investigation. However, in October 2024, investigators identified a person of interest in the case. The person was located in Orlando in September of this year and interviewed.
During the interview, the person of interest admitted to being at the party and told investigators that he was hit during a fight. He told investigators that he picked up a kitchen knife and waved it to keep others away. Investigators said he acted in self-defense and that no charges would be filed.
Kelly McDonald, mother of De’Andre Nathaniel Wellnitz who died in a stabbing in 2007, attended a press conference speaking on her son's case solved.
After 18 years, an angel appeared, De'Andre's mother, Kelly McDonald, said during a Dec. 9 press conference. It was her prayer that her son's death be solved, she said.
"I appreciate the empathy that was shown as well as them being straightforward with all of the details," McDonald said. "What it was done for me is 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."
She now hopes other families can get some sort of resolve, "even if it's not what you think it should be," she said.
Man dies after being shot multiple times in 2022
Officials also solved a 2022 fatal shooting of a 23-year-old man.
Jommil Baez-Quinones was killed in a shooting in Feb. 2022.
Jommil Baez-Quinones was shot several times near Indian Point Circle on Feb. 23, 2022. Quinones died at the scene.
After exhausting all leads, the case went cold, according to investigators. In October 2024, the case was reopened.
A suspect, 23-year-old Luis Eluvar Gonzalez, was located with the help of U.S. Marshals and arrested. The State Attorney’s Office filed charges on Sept. 19. Gonzalez was charged with first-degree manslaughter with a weapon and first-degree robbery with a firearm, both of which are felonies.
Luis Eluvar Gonzalez was arrested in connection to a 2022 cold case in Osceola County.
Cold Case updates: Watch the press conference
32 unsolved cold cases
The Osceola County Sheriff's Office – which was formed in 2024 – currently has 32 unsolved crimes. They've solved two since the unit's creation. The oldest cold case dates back to 1978, Blackmon said.
The sheriff's office encouraged anyone with information to contact Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477).
The Source: This article was written using information from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.