Fort Myers police make arrest in 2007 cold case
A television show investigation team has helped Fort Myers police arrest a man they believe is responsible for the 2007 murder of his wife.
Kultar Goraya, 40, of Bradenton, is being charged with second-degree murder stemming from a seven-year-old case where his wife, 34-year-old Rupinder Goraya, went missing, according to the Fort Myers police.
The state attorney's office approved a second-degree murder warrant for Kultar on Nov. 26. The warrant came after local detectives worked with a team from the television show "Cold Justice," for weeks while filming an episode for the upcoming third season.
Rupinder was reported missing on Oct. 19, 2007, after coworkers became concerned about her, according to the FBI. She was a registered nurse and worked at Southwest Regional Medical Center. She was also a diabetic and had surgery due to stomach cancer. Authorities believe important prescriptions of Rupinder's last filled on Sept. 12, 2007 would have run out by October.
A November 2007 search of a lake in Fort Myers yielded no clues. Her body has yet to be found.
Kultar allegedly returned to India with the couple's 3-year-old child around the time of Rupinder's disappearance. They have no local relatives, according to police.
Hour-long TNT true crime drama "Cold Justice" aims to help local law enforcement solve cold cases. The third season starts Friday at 8 p.m. and the episode featuring the Goraya case will air March 6.
Cases the show tackles are submitted by local law enforcement, said one of the show's exectuive producers, Kathryn Vaughan, via email. "There are so many passionate detectives out there who just want to bring justice to their victims, and they are open enough to let us come and work side by side with them."
The Goraya case was particularly vexing, Vaughan said, because Rupinder's body has not yet been found.
Starting the process of bringing justice to Rupinder's family is a great feeling, Vaughan said. "Rupinder Goraya was the most innocent victim, and it is an honor to be able to tell her story."
Kultar Goraya was in custody in Manatee County for a Nov. 16 aggravated assault when the warrant was approved, according to police. Monday he was transported to Lee County and Tuesday he was charged with second-degree murder.
Kultar was charged with domestic battery in May 2007, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office arrest database. Rupinder accused him of choking her and threatening to stab her, according to a police report. Photographs showed abrasions on her neck.