An arrest has been made in connection to the suspicious death of a Volusia County woman, deputies said.
Barbara Minardi, 85, was found dead inside her home on Omaha Drive, in Deltona, Monday night. She was found by her daughter and son-in-law.
Minardi's 2010 four-door Nissan Altima was also missing from the home, said Gary Davidson, spokesman with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. The couple went to check on Minardi after she failed to answer phone calls.
Ronald Citarelli, 49, was taken into custody early Tuesday morning after the Sheriff's Office got a tip around 12:18 a.m. about the victim's vehicle being spotted at a residence on Comstock Drive — about 7.5 miles from the crime scene, Davidson said.
After confirming it was Minardi's car, investigators staked out the location. About 20 minutes later, Citarelli was seen walking away from the residence and was immediately taken into custody. Citarelli is a transient and spent the night with acquaintances at the home on Comstock Drive.
While investigators are still confirming some of the circumstances of the case, it's believed that Citarelli was familiar with the victim because he apparently had recently installed some flooring inside the home, Davidson said.
The residence where the victim lived alone had been burglarized, and some of the stolen property linking Citarelli to the crime scene has been recovered. Based on the preliminary results of the investigation, it appears that the victim — a volunteer with the Sheriff's Office for the past 13 years — died from blunt force trauma. The official cause of death will be determined by the Volusia County Medical Examiner's Office.
The Volusia County Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy Wednesday. Preliminary results confirm Minardi died from injuries sustained from blunt force trauma.
Citarelli is being held without bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach. He's being charged with first-degree murder and burglary.