Who killed Jean Ault? St. Pete woman’s 2002 murder remains unsolved
Unsolved Florida: 24 years since woman's murder
The murder of 74-year-old Jean Ault in St. Petersburg remains unsolved 24 years later. FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - On March 23, 2002, the peaceful waters of Coquina Key Park became a crime scene when the body of Jean Ault, a retired state employee and beloved aunt, was discovered bound and beaten among the mangroves. Twenty-four years later, her murder is still unsolved.
The backstory:
Ault was an active woman who loved gardening, tennis, and volunteering at national parks.
She was last seen alive by a neighbor just before noon on a Thursday, returning a book and preparing for a camping trip to Manatee County.
Pictured: Jean Ault.
When she failed to show up at the campsite, friends reported her missing.
Police later recovered her camper van at an apartment complex on 54th Avenue South.
The only item missing from her belongings was a Huffy-model bicycle.
The backstory:
The case was the first homicide assignment for Mike Kovacsev, who is now the Assistant Police Chief for the St. Petersburg Police Department.
At the time, the brutality of the crime against a "true victim" stunned the Lakewood Estates community.
"I would almost think the person to be dang near an animal to do something like this," Jack Stubendick, her neighbor at the time, said.
Pictured: Jean Ault's van.
Detectives established a narrow timeline for the murder, believing Ault was killed shortly after noon.
One prevailing theory is that she startled a "would-be burglar" in her garage while loading her van.
The killer then took her, and her vehicle, to the locations where they were eventually found. Because the crime scene, the body, and the abandoned van all sit within a small radius in South St. Pete, investigators believe the killer likely had strong ties to that specific area.
Dig deeper:
While robbery was a suspected motive, Jean’s nephew, Peter Forcinito, recalls a "red flag" from the year prior to her death.
He said Ault, a brave woman who served on the neighborhood crime watch, had mentioned being harassed by certain neighbors to the point of considering a move.
While investigators looked into those leads, they ultimately hit a dead end.
"Her life was much more exciting and beautiful than the way she died. We certainly can't give up," Forcinito explained. "There's still hope out there."
What's next:
In the last year, Detective Wallace Pavelsky authorized new DNA testing on evidence from the case.
"Everybody wanted justice for Ms. Ault, and unfortunately, so far we haven't been able to do that. It's a true mystery," Kovacsev said.
While those tests have yet to yield a definitive match, the department remains hopeful that advancing technology will eventually provide the breakthrough they need.
Ault's daughter and sister have since passed away without seeing an arrest.
What you can do:
Peter Forcinito is now offering $10,000 for any information that leads to closure.
Pictured: Jean Ault.
Detectives are asking the public to think back to March 2002.
Anyone who remembers seeing Ault's camper van near 54th Avenue South or who may have information about a missing Huffy bicycle from that era, is asked to contact the St. Petersburg Police Department. Tips can be made anonymously.
The Source: FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis gathered information for this story with updates from the St. Petersburg Police Department as well as the victim's family member.