Dorothy Bumbalough says her daughter came to her in December 2001, scared for her life.
Kimberly Mimmovich was scared that her boyfriend would kill her, her mother says.
Less than a week later, Mimmovich was missing and presumed dead and her then-boyfriend Dion Kaseta was a suspect, Bumbalough said. For the next nine years, however, no arrests were made.
Even Kaseta’s arrest Thursday in Chattanooga in connection with her daughter’s death offers little solace, said Bumbalough, who lives in Lake Wales, Fla.
“He’s always been guilty in our eyes and heart,” Bumbalough said. “This is a little bit of closure, but not much.”
Kaseta was arrested at his job at U.S. Xpress and charged with second-degree murder. He has waived extradition and will be returned to Polk County, Fla., where the crime occurred, within a week, officials said.
The arrest comes after cold case detectives in Florida reinterviewed old witnesses, said Donna Wood with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
“Additional witnesses and evidence were uncovered and it was determined that Mimmovich is deceased and was killed by Dion Kaseta,” Wood said.
She said that on Dec. 8, 2001, Kaseta told detectives he left Lake Wales with Mimmovich around 11:30 p.m. for an impromptu trip to Deerfield Beach, Fla., about 170 miles away.
Kaseta told detectives he last saw Mimmovich walking down the beach alone early the next morning after they had an argument, Wood said.
Her body has never been found. Despite pleas made to the Chattanooga and Polk County communties, detectives have received no further information concerning the location of her remains, officials said.
Bumbalough is haunted by the fact that she visited Chattanooga a month ago for a relative’s funeral and had no idea that Kaseta was here, too.
“He’s been here this whole time,” Bumbalough said. “I’m just glad I didn’t see him.”