Susan Solano was a hardworking mother, opening up her Tampa business on May 1, 1995. When employees arrived that morning, they found her dead in the back of the store. More than 25 years later, her family is still hopeful detectives will one day track down her killer.
Merissa Lynn, host:
It’s been more than 20 years, and a lot has changed since Susan Solano was killed inside of her workplace.
Merissa Lynn, host:
But, for her family and friends, one thought has remained the same, day after day.
Det. Gibson:
It's difficult because you have these people that are just, every day, waking up, wondering what happened to their loved one.
Dori Shifflett, daughter:
We're not as trusting anymore, but that definitely changes who you are as a person.
Merissa Lynn, host:
We take a look back at the case in hopes you can help us solve this “Unfinished Business.”
Merissa Lynn, host:
The workday was just beginning for 49-year-old Susan Solano. It was Monday, May 1, 1995.
She opened her business, the Bargain Uniforms, that was once located on 50th Street in Tampa.
After that, it’s unclear what exactly transpired in the store.
Det. Gibson:
From what we understand, a worker showed up and found Ms. Solano deceased with upper body trauma in the back of the business and warehouse where the Bargain Uniforms was operating out of.
Merissa Lynn, host:
Detective Bryant Gibson works inside the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division.
Det. Gibson:
She was found slumped over some clothing. That's really what we can describe from what happened on the scene.
Merissa Lynn, host:
When detectives found her back in the day, was she alone at that time?
Det. Gibson:
They believe that she was the only one inside of the residence once the workers started to get there. That's when she was discovered.
Merissa Lynn, host:
Yeah, because this was the beginning of the start of the day.
Det. Gibson:
Early in the morning, between about 8:00-9:00, that's when the workers were starting to arrive and that's when she was found.
Merissa Lynn, host:
Solano was a mother of four children, who to this day, desperately want to know who did this and why.
Dori Shifflett was 25-years-old when she got the news of her mother’s murder.
Dori Shifflett, daughter:
Difficult for me personally, it's really hard to get over it. Not there not knowing who it was. You have a lot of different scenarios run through your head. Could it be this person, could be that person. You just don't know.
Merissa Lynn, host:
How has it changed your life and the life of the rest of your family?
Dori Shifflett, daughter:
A lot. Sure. We're not as trusting anymore, but that definitely changes who you are as a person. So we’re really been affected by it. I mean, we're all okay. And you have to live your life. So you just do what you need to do to get on with it. But sure, it's a struggle.
Merissa Lynn, host:
Three years before she was murdered though, she was the victim of a robbery in 1992 at a different shop.
But, detectives can’t definitively say her homicide was another robbery attempt.
Det. Gibson:
There were some items of hers missing. I don't think we can go into too much detail about that. That's what we learned, you know, after the detectives talked to some family members and were looking at crime scene photographs after the fact, and those kind of things, information they obtained back then.
Merissa Lynn, host:
Why anyone would want to kill Susan Solano remains unknown all of these years later.
Det. Gibson:
This case is still active and open. Our Cold Case Unit is still going over things, looking at the report, looking at possible leads, evidence that can hopefully help us, but at this point, there are no active leads in this investigation.
Merissa Lynn, host:
And, how detectives gather evidence these days, is very different too.
Det. Gibson:
Just with the advancements in technology, from a lot of our residents having full DVR, camera-video surveillance, from doorbell cameras, to even the advancement in technology in fingerprints, DNA, and all those kind of things. Those are all things we look to collect. We look to cell phone records, as well. Everybody has their cell phone nowadays. It's a lot more than what was available back in 1995.
Det. Gibson:
The way that we looked at things in 1995 compared to how we look at them in 2021, it's totally different. How crimes are investigated, that makes it extremely difficult because of the lapse of time.”
Merissa Lynn, host:
So where do detectives go from here? How do they go about solving a case with limited evidence?
Det. Gibson:
Looking at potential witnesses, or re-interviewing people, people tend to forget things. You know, talking about 26 years ago, might be hard for a lot of people to remember what they were doing that day, or what they remember they saw, what they didn't see, those kind of things. 26 years is a long time, so unfortunately, that is one of our biggest battles in this case.
Merissa Lynn, host:
What are you seeking from the public? If somebody knew something, any information, somebody that was walking past the store that one day, or may have saw something, or somebody running from that store, what would you say to them?
Det. Gibson:
Just anybody that has any information, just to contact the Sheriff's Office. Like I said, it's still an active investigation. We're still looking into it with our Cold Case Unit. To bring that closure to a family with questions of what happened 26 years ago, I think, if anybody has information, has heard anything from anybody or just knows anything, I think that would help our investigators a lot.
Merissa Lynn, host:
From speaking with other detectives, doing different episodes of this podcast, it seems to weigh on you guys to not have that answer or that closure for that family. What is it like for you to not be able to bring that resolution to the family and the friends of this victim?
Det. Gibson:
It's difficult because you have these people that are just, every day, waking up, wondering what happened to their loved one. To be dealing with that for 26 years, I couldn't even imagine what that's like.
Merissa Lynn, host:
Do you have hope that there will be an answer at some point?
Dori Shifflett, daughter:
I do.
Merissa Lynn, host:
A lot?
Dori Shifflett, daughter:
Yeah. A lot. For sure. Because I struggled... It seems like I just go day by day, still. It feels like I can't move on with my life because I don't know, that, in a way, I don't know. I guess it's hard to explain, but I would love to know.
Merissa Lynn, host:
If you have any information on this case, or any others that are being investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, please call 813-247-8200. Be sure to follow us on social media at @HCSOSheriff for any updates we have on this case in the future.