A private investigator looking into the death of a 27-year-old Orlando woman found slain last year in Cocoa Beach said he thinks he has identified the person who was last to see her alive.
Ryan Mann of Diamond and Mann Investigations in Ormond Beach stopped short of calling the person a suspect but does think the individual can provide crucial details about the last few moments Jessica Erausquin was alive.
Erausquin was found dead Oct. 16 on Rose Drive in what police have called a hit-and-run accident.
“We do know the person has some information that can at least help the investigation,” Mann said.
He declined to give the individual’s name or gender. The person, a former co-worker, has not been located, Mann said.
Her cousin, David Erausquin of Tampa, said the family hired the private investigator because of the lack of communication from Cocoa Beach police.
“The continuous lack of communication on the part of the Cocoa Beach Police Department has become a recurring nightmare for the family,” he said.
Cocoa Beach police Maj. Jay Harmon said there are no updates to the department’s investigation.
“Our investigators are familiar with multiple people who had contact with Jessica that evening, but if the private investigator believes they know something we don’t, we would encourage [him] to contact us,” Harmon said.
Maj. Wes Mullins said police are investigating all leads fully. Police have classified Erausquin’s death as a traffic homicide and said she died of blunt-force trauma in a hit-and-run. Her autopsy said she suffered multiple skull fractures, brain injuries and many cuts and bruises to her head, neck and torso. The autopsy also said she had bruises “consistent with seat belt marks.”
Mann said the seat belt marks suggest she may have been involved in a car accident. Mann, who talked to more than 50 people in the investigation, said he thinks Erausquin’s body was dumped on Rose Drive after being involved in a car accident.
Erausquin, originally from New York, graduated in May from Keiser University with a degree in forensic investigations. She moved to Orlando about nine years ago.
Friends and family, who started the Justice for Jessica group, are still trying to get the word out about Erausquin’s death in hopes of obtaining new leads.
On the third Friday of each month, the group passes out fliers at Friday Fest in Cocoa Beach asking for information about her death.
They also placed a memorial stone on Rose Drive on Valentine’s Day.
Her friend Crystal Lopez said she thinks Erausquin knew the person who killed her.
“The question is who was it,” she said. “Who was she with, and why was this done to her?”
Lopez said she wants to “lay her friend to rest.”
“We have fought so hard for so many months that we just want some form of answer,” she said.
dharris@tribune.com or 407-420-5471
