SOUTH CAROLINA — After more than three decades, investigators have finally made an arrest in a 1987 cold case murder that left a young mother dead in her apartment complex’s laundry room.
Authorities say Cortez Sabino Lake, who lived in the same complex at the time, has been taken into custody for the killing of Margit Schuller, a 34-year-old native of Hungary and mother, whose tragic death shocked the Beaufort County community.
Murder in the Laundry Room — A 37-Year Mystery
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Schuller was shot and killed inside the laundry room of her apartment complex in 1987. At the time, the case went cold despite extensive efforts by detectives to identify a suspect.
Schuller had recently immigrated from Hungary and was known to be a devoted mother and hardworking resident. Her sudden and violent death devastated her family and left authorities searching for answers for decades.
Breakthrough Leads to Arrest
This week, the case saw a major breakthrough when new evidence linked Lake to the crime. Investigators revealed that Lake was serving in the U.S. Navy and living in the same apartment complex as Schuller when the murder occurred…