BAY VILLAGE, Ohio — Police say that a man identified by his ex-girlfriend as a possible suspect in the death of Amy Mihaljevic told investigators he may have called the 10-year-old girl prior to her abduction, according to recently filed court documents.
The woman came forward in January 2019 and identified the now 64-year-old as a suspect in Mihaljevic’s murder, according to Bay Village police.
Because he has not been charged in the case, News 5 has chosen not to identify the man.
EXCLUSIVE: Court documents reveal startling new developments in Amy Mihaljevic murder investigation
According to sworn statements from the lead detective in the case, the woman told police the man didn't came home the night Amy Mihaljevic disappeared from the Bay Village Square Shopping Center on October 27, 1989.
Investigators said the woman told them she heard from the man around 10 p.m. that night when he called to ask if she was aware of news coverage about Amy’s disappearance.
According to police, the woman told investigators that the man said his niece and brother’s family knew Amy. In fact, police said the man’s niece was the same age and in the same grade as Amy.
According to court records, the woman told police she “also believed she recalled [the man] telling her he himself knew Amy Mihaljevic.”
For years, police have said that prior to her abduction, Amy received a phone call from a man who wanted to arrange a meeting with the girl to help pick out a gift for Amy’s mother.
The detective said during an interview with the man in the fall of 2019 that the man said he may have met Amy's mother in a bar and that “maybe he didn’t know who he was talking to.”
Police said that when they asked the man whether he ever called Amy prior to her abduction the man said, “I could have” and “it could have been a wrong number.”
According to the detective’s sworn statement, “when asked if there was a possibility that he called her” the man said, “yes.”
Police said the man did submit a DNA sample in November 2019.
Since that time, according to court records, police said they also searched a storage unit belonging to the man and seized evidence.
Bay Village police would not comment on the statements contained in the documents, but said they continue to diligently work the case.
Anyone with information about Amy Mihaljevic’s death is asked to call investigators at 1-877-FBI-OHIO or the Bay Village Police Department at 440-871-1234.
CLICK HERE to read News 5's extensive coverage on the Amy Mihaljevic case.
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
