Rust Belt Manhunt

On October 7th, 2017, in the small town of Conneaut, Ohio, police and emergency personnel responded to the call of an unresponsive 13-month-old girl. Sereniti Jazzlynn-Sky Blankenship-Sutley was later declared dead at the local hospital. The man who was responsible for watching her at the time was Joshua Gurto. He has been charged with her rape and murder and is currently on the run. Sereniti died because of blunt force trauma to the head and trunk, according to the Ashtabula County Coroner’s office. After he and the baby’s mother were questioned by authorities, he was released to his home address in Girard, Pennsylvania. After a week-long investigation, the police officially charged Gurto with the rape and murder of the child, but he fled before they could place him under arrest. Gurto was last spotted at a Sheetz store in Pittsburgh late Wednesday afternoon where he departed on foot on a road that runs parallel to I-79.

At this current time, the Conneaut Police Department and the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force are asking for tips and information. The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force also has a reward of $5000.00 for information leading to Gurto’s arrest.

If you have any information about Gurto, you are encouraged to contact the Conneaut Police Department at (440) 593-7440 or anonymously at (440) 593-7423. You can also contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED or text keyword “WANTED” and tip to 84711.

(Article by Jonathan Anderson)