After being missing for more than two years, an arrest has been made in the Cristi Ruso case.
29 year old Colby Tatom was arrested in Lumberton last night and charged with Cristi Ruso’s murder. He is being held on a $1 million bond.
Cristi, a resident of Buno, Texas, was reported missing on October 21, 2021 after being dropped off near a residence on County Road 777.
In February and March of 2023, search warrants were executed on the County Road residence and a nearby property. DNA samples from the searches were sent to a crime lab in Houston to be analyzed.
In December, a grand jury indicted Tatom for murder and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Officials say evidence shows Tatom murdered Cristi and disposed of her body.
He was taken into custody last night and is being held on a $1 million bond.
The Disappearance of Cristi Ruso
32-year-old Cristi Ruso was last seen in Buna, Texas on October 21, 2021. She disappeared after being dropped off at a friend’s house.
Background
Cristi Lynn Ruso was born on January 19, 1990. Ruso was living in Buna, Texas at the time of her disappearance. She is single and is the mother of two children.
Disappearance
On October 20, 2021, Cristi Ruso was released in the morning from Jasper County jail. She later received multiple rides to and from Buna and Silsbee, including Garden Inn & Suites, a motel on Highway 96 in Silsbee, Texas.
On October 21, 2021, Ruso was last seen by her aunt when she was dropped off around 4:00 pm at an acquaintance’s residence in the 1800 block of County Road 777, about 1.5 miles away from Business Highway 96 in Buna.
On October 23, 2021, Ruso was captured on surveillance camera with a group of friends at a Dollar Tree store in Evadale, about a ten minute drive from Buna.
On October 25, 2021, Ruso was last seen being dropped off about 200 feet away from the residence she previously visited on County Road 777. Cristi Lynn Ruso hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
Investigation
On December 18, 2021, two soaking wet black trash bags, which contained some of Ruso’s clothing and personal belongings, were found abandoned by a driver on County Road 721 off of Highway 96, about four miles south of Buna, Texas.
One arrest was made during the first search at the County Road property where Ruso was last seen, but authorities say the charges were unrelated to her disappearance.
On February 23, 2023, authorities executed a search warrant on the property located in the 1800 block of County Road in Buna, Texas where Ruso was last seen.
On March 1, 2023, new developments stemming from the first search warrant led authorities to execute a second search warrant on a neighboring property in the 1900 block of County Road 777 in Buna, Texas.
DNA samples recovered from the flooring, walls, and ceiling from the 1800 block of County Road property were sent off to the DPS crime lab in Houston to be analyzed.
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