A year ago, I put together a new nonprofit to fund new investigations into some of Ohio’s coldest cases. I’m so thrilled to announce that there has been an arrest made in our first case – the 1987 unsolved murder of Barbara Blatnik. James Zastawnik was arrested for the girl’s murder on Wednesday. Here’s a report from the Beacon Journal and USAToday.
Donna Zanath, Blatnik’s sister, said Wednesday evening that she was in shock that an arrest had been made after all this time. She credited Project Porchlight, a local effort lead by Akron author James Renner that took on her sister’s case as its first attempt to generate renewed interest in a cold case. Project Porchlight raised $6,000 for DNA testing that helped with the Blatnik case. “Without James Renner, we wouldn’t be talking right now,” she said, choking back tears.
Beacon Journal
Learn more about The Porchlight Project here. You can also donate via the website. Every little bit helps. Thank you!
Well done! I still cannot imagine the horror that young girl faced at the hands of that monster but I am so glad people still fought to get justice for her. It makes me angry that non-profits have to raise funds for DNA testing etc when the state should take it upon themselves to do so because god only knows what this guy has been up to all these years and still may have been doing if allowed to be free.