A decade after the home invasion that ended in Mary Zosel’s death, Ocoee detectives say the case is no longer gathering dust. Retired detective Michelle Grogan, who now handles cold cases for the department, says new forensic testing and a fresh round of interviews have pushed the investigation back into active mode.
New forensic leads and federal help
Grogan says evidence containing DNA was resubmitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and investigators have brought in an analyst from the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit while they re-examine old interviews and scene evidence. The renewed push has even taken detectives out on the water, with sonar searches at Starke and Deep lakes in August 2025 as they chased potential physical leads. According to the West Orange Times & Observer, those efforts, paired with new laboratory methods, have given the long-stalled case fresh momentum.
What happened the night Zosel died
On the night of April 30, 2016, officers were called to Zosel’s home on West Franklin Street, where they found her critically injured. She was taken to a hospital and later died. Early reports described a violent home invasion in which a large safe and other belongings were stolen, and investigators said from the start that the attacker likely had Zosel’s trust or some form of access to the home. That early phase of the investigation was detailed by outlets including WFTV and WESH.
Missing safe and motive clues
Detectives say a Centurion CE12 stand-up safe was removed from the master bedroom closet. According to investigators, it held about $16,000 in cash, Social Security cards, property deeds, jewelry and numerous firearms, including antiques. Because of the safe’s size and weight, police believe it took more than one person to move it, and they have long treated the case as a targeted home invasion rather than a random break-in. Those details, along with the department’s ongoing forensic work, are outlined in reporting by the West Orange Times & Observer.
Why detectives hope DNA will help now
In recent years, advances in DNA sequencing and forensic genetic genealogy have cracked open other long-running cases in Florida, and state leaders have launched a partnership to reprocess older evidence using newer tools. By submitting evidence from Zosel’s case to FDLE, investigators hope it might generate familial or genealogical leads that simply were not possible in 2016. The Office of the Attorney General, in a press release earlier this spring, described the statewide initiative, which connects FDLE with outside laboratories to squeeze new investigative leads from degraded or partial samples.
How to pass along a tip
Ocoee police and members of Zosel’s family are still asking anyone with information about the April 30, 2016, home invasion to step forward. Tipsters can contact the Ocoee Police Department at (407) 905-3160 or use the agency’s non-emergency tip channels. Detectives say even a minor detail, or a memory that seems insignificant, could shift the direction of the investigation. Authorities also encourage anyone who might have photos, videos, or neighborhood observations from that night to share them with investigators.
