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State Police Say Solving Murder Of Tammy Zywicki 23 Years Ago Still A High Priority

(CBS) -- Illinois State Police say the murder of a college student apparently kidnapped off the side of I-80 23-years ago is still very much a high priority case for investigators.

It was 23 years ago tomorrow that the body of 21-year-old college student Tammy Zywicki was found along the side of a road in Missouri. She had disappeared August 23 after last being seen standing next to her car and a truck driver along I-80 in LaSalle County, Illinois.

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Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Jeff Padilla says the murder of Zywicki in 1992 is "a very heartbreaking case".

He says state police investigators, an FBI agent from Chicago, the LaSalle County state's attorney and a state police DNA expert plan to travel to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia to revisit evidence that might prove helpful in catching Zywicki's killer.

He says, "DNA technology, in particular, is important to us and so we want to try and evaluate that and see if there is more testing that can be done."

Master Sgt. Jeff Padilla says with improvements in DNA technology, it's possible to zero in on the Grinnell College student's killer with evidence found in 1992.

Despite some thinking a key suspect is already dead, Padilla says, "There are a number of potential suspects we are investigating, actively."

Padilla says investigators hope to talk to them in the not-too-distant-future.

Padilla continues to believe someone in the public knows who was behind the murder and asks that that person comes forward to police.

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