SALT LAKE CITY — Police detectives released a composite sketch Friday of man they want to interview regarding the 1995 murder of Rosie Tapia.
Detectives believe the man carried the 6-year-old girl from the playground at the Hartland Apartments, 1616 Snow Queen Place, to her apartment the night before she was kidnapped and killed.
A witness described him as white with a dark complexion, approximately 30 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall, having a thin build and dark brown medium-length hair. He was wearing a white T-shirt, red-brimmed ball cap and sunglasses with dark brown lenses.
Police say Rosie disappeared from her bedroom, where she had been sleeping with her sister, sometime early in the morning on Aug. 13, 1995. Several hours later, a man walking his dog found the girl's body floating in a canal near 1900 South and 1600 West. An autopsy revealed she had been sexually assaulted.
Investigators hope someone, especially those who may have lived at or visited the Hartland Apartments in 1995, might recognize the man from the sketch.
Anyone with information is asked to call 801-799-3000 and reference case #95-119190. Callers may remain anonymous.
— Dennis Romboy