BEAUFORT, S.C. — The man arrested for the 1988 murder of a Three Rivers woman was found dead in his jail cell, according to the Three Rivers Police Department.
The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office says Robert Waters was arrested Sunday, April 30 for the murder of Cathy Swartz after investigators went to South Carolina, contacted Waters and found probable cause to take him into custody for open murder.
Police were able to identify Waters as the suspect 35 years later through DNA testing, fingerprinting and another round of interviews.
The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office says investigators were in South Carolina working to bring Waters back to Michigan.
READ MORE: Arrest made in 1988 murder of Three Rivers woman
Cathy Swartz was found dead in her apartment on East Hoffman Street back in 1988.
Investigators at the time said her body was found with signs of a violent beating and sexual assault—they say she had been stabbed more than a dozen times.
The Three Rivers Police Department said Saturday that the Beaufort County Detention Center told investigators Waters was found dead in his jail cell.
Now, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is investigating the in-custody death.
The Three Rivers Police Department says it is waiting for results from the coroner’s office before making a statement.
