Bridgeport cold-case series spotlights 1994 dismemberment case, earns praise from FBI
Rosario, 45, lived in the East End and was reported missing by his family in early August.
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Bridgeport police Detective Jeffrey Holtz calls the 1994 unsolved murder of Benjamin Rosario, “one of the most famous in the history of the city.” Now, 31 years later, it’s the focus of the third episode of "Park City Confidential,"the homicide unit’s cold case video series.
Rosario, 45, lived in the East End and was reported missing by his family in early August.
“A couple of days later, there was a trash bag with a body part located in the middle of Seaview Avenue,” Holtz told News 12. “Subsequently, police located additional bags—two more that day in that general vicinity. They located a fourth bag the following day at the intersection where Connecticut Avenue and Stratford Avenue come together. Then the following day, one of our off-duty police officers was fishing on Pleasure Beach and located four more bags.”
Police recovered eight separate bags—all with severed body parts. Rosario’s head was never found.
“Mr. Rosario was dismembered. He was identified through the clothing that was found in the bags as well as his fingerprints,” Holtz explained.
Where Rosario was killed is just one of many unanswered questions in the investigation. “Obviously, the biggest one is, ‘Who is responsible?’” said Holtz.
Rosario's episode is set to be released the week of April 28. It comes as the FBI recognized "Park City Confidential" this month, spotlighting the series for its innovation in trying to close cold cases and finally give grieving families some justice.
“For the department, it's validation that what we're doing is right,” Holtz stated.
"Park City Confidential’s" first episode came out in August 2024 and centered on the death of Abdul Lemon, who was shot and killed on Remington Street on Jan. 10, 2020. Holtz said the initial installment brought in tips and moved the case forward—not to the point of an arrest warrant yet, but he believes investigators will get there.
The second episode, which took viewers inside the unsolved murder of Heriberto Marquez in August 2020, didn’t lead to new information, but Holtz isn’t deterred.
“If we do 10 or 20 videos and solve one case, that’s incredible. Solving a cold case is extremely important, extremely difficult, and just amazing to the family of the victim,” Holtz said.
"Park City Confidential" can be seen on the police department’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
