Who is Donald Santini? Murder suspect wanted for 39 years hid in plain sight as 'a pillar of the community'
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: Donald Santini, a Florida murder suspect, who outran cops for 39 years despite appearing on “America’s Most Wanted” three times, was reportedly caught in California earlier this month. The 65-year-old disappeared from Hillsborough County in 1984 after being named the prime suspect in the murder of Cynthia Ruth Wood, who died of strangulation and was found dead in a canal.
Prior to his arrest, Santini was reportedly serving as president of a local water board in plain sight under the name Wellman Simmonds. He was finally tracked down to Campo, a rural community of roughly 3,000 people just outside of San Diego, and arrested in connection to the cold case at his home on June 7. He reportedly walked into the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in handcuffs on Wednesday, June 28.
What is known about Donald Santini?
Santini is a 65-year-old Florida man who outran law enforcement for nearly four decades after being dubbed the prime suspect of Wood’s murder by strangulation in 1984. He appeared on 'America’s Most Wanted' in 1990, 2005 and 2013, but managed to elude cops for 39 years. Santini took the alias of “Wellman Simmonds” after his initial disappearance from Hillsborough County and hid in plain sight.
He worked on the Lake Morena Views Mutual Water Company and reportedly served as the president of a local water board. Reports suggest that Santini befriended Woods in the 1980s and promised to find dirt on her then-husband while she was in the middle of a messy divorce from her partner. Wood was reported missing on June 6, 1984, and her body was found in a ditch five days after. Officials revealed that the woman was strangled to death and announced Santini as a suspect in the murder.
After taking his alias, Santini began serving on the Campo-Lake Morena Community Planning Group as well as president of the board of directors for the Lake Morena Views Mutual Water Company. “Everyone was surprised. There was nothing unusual about him,” Billie Jo Jannen, chair of the planning group, told ECM. “We are all flabbergasted,” one of Santini’s colleague at the company told ABC 10.
“He was a pillar of the community. He seemed upstanding. He was an advocate, non-confrontational, and was hardly hiding. I am still trying to process all of this,” they added. “It really was one of the most shocking things I’ve ever heard in my life,” neighbor Rick Fox said in an interview. He also added that Santini referred to himself as “Wells” during their cordial conversations.
Additional reports suggest that Santini previously served time in prison for a 1978 rape case when he was stationed in Germany for a stint in the military. He was also wanted for a robbery in Texas before he vanished in 1984.
How did Donald Santini elude cops for decades?
After his disappearance, Santini was able to elude cops by using more than a dozen aliases and frequently changing his location. He operated under the name of Simmonds and even appeared at public meetings for town business, garnering acclaim for his community minded thoughts. Santini was reportedly unafraid about being detected or caught despite being on the run for 39 years as he even spoke to local press under his alias while discussing about a fatal 2018 crash.
How was Donald Santini caught?
The search for Santini spanned across several decades and multiple countries. While he appeared on “America’s Most Wanted” thrice, investigators continued to chase down leads from Thailand to Texas over the years. The United States Marshals Service finally headed to Campo after receiving a tip from the Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force.
While officials declined to elaborate on the clues that finally solved the cold case, the sheriff's office issued a statement saying, “We are aware of this arrest and have sent detectives to interview Santini, while we await extradition. This arrest allows us to reexamine evidence collected in 1984 using the technology of today, as the case is now considered open once again.”
Reports revealed that cops finally zeroed in on Santini after his fingerprints matched with the ones found on Wood’s body. The murder suspect reportedly confessed about his true identity during an appearance in a California court this month before being extradited to Florida. He was seen putting up a slight smile for his new mugshot. Santini is now facing first-degree murder charges for killing Wood.