She Was Found Killed In Her Hotel Room Right After Leaving A Wedding, And Her Case Has Been Unsolved For Over 31 Years
On August 25, 1991, 20-year-old Marina Ruggiero visited the idyllic California city of San Luis Obispo to attend a family friend’s wedding.
But following an evening of dancing and celebrating at the nuptials, she was found brutally stabbed to death in her hotel room.
Marina lived in San Pedro, worked as an office manager at Lens Technology, and had been taking night classes at El Camino Community College. She’s remembered by her loved ones as a family-oriented and religious young woman.
It was Sunday, August 25, 1991, when she, her parents, John and Maria, and her sister, Carmela, traveled to San Luis Obispo for her childhood friend Raguel Mezin’s wedding.
The Ruggiero family and the Mezins had lived right across the street from each other in San Pedro for several years. Then, Raguel began attending California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, where she met her husband, but remained close to Marina.
The Ruggieros booked hotel rooms at Cuesta Canyon Lodge, now called The Wayfarer. It was located across from the Monday Club on Monterey Street, where the wedding took place, and Marina was sharing a room with her sister.
According to Sergeant Chad Pfarr of the San Luis Obispo Police Department, the nuptials went off “without a hitch.” Marina had a good time with her family and friends, but sometime between 9:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., everything changed.
Marina decided to go back to her hotel room, which was only a couple of hundred feet away, to change and intended to meet back up with the guests later. Meanwhile, her parents stayed at the wedding and helped clean up.
Her sister, Carmela, followed suit approximately 30 to 45 minutes later. However, when she arrived at their shared hotel room, she realized it was locked.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
“In those days, they didn’t use electronic key cards, and the motel had actual keys. Carmela tried to open the door, but it was locked. She knocked but thought Marina might have fallen asleep, and she went to the lobby to get a new key,” Sgt. Pfarr detailed.
Once Carmela eventually entered the hotel room, she was met with a brutal scene. Marina had been stabbed in her upper body several times. She was found lying on her bed, with a towel reportedly covering her face.
Soon after, other loved ones arrived and gathered in the hotel room, attempting to resuscitate Marina. She was transported to the hospital by paramedics but ultimately died due to her injuries.
The police claimed no one had seen Marina leaving the party with anyone, and nobody at the hotel had heard any arguing or yelling coming from the hotel room. Moreover, authorities didn’t find the murder weapon, and nothing appeared to be taken from the room.
In 2019, Sgt. Pfarr called the case “really a ‘who done it?'” given there was no evidence of assault or robbery. Investigators also spoke with all the wedding attendees and gathered the license plate numbers of cars in the area, but to this day, Marina’s killer has never been identified.
The police have been able to put together a suspect profile outline, giving them an idea of the type of killer who murdered the 20-year-old. Yet, they’ve opted not to release the outline to the public.
There have been other leads over the years, too, including the discovery of a serrated hunting knife in 1994. It was found in a parking area across the street from the crime scene with a small amount of blood on it, but the weapon was subsequently ruled out.
Sgt. Pfarr was first assigned Marina’s case as a detective and stated he’s personally spent over 1,000 hours on the investigation.
“I talk with her family. I re-read the reports and hope to see something I haven’t seen before. I was assigned that as a detective, and now I supervise investigations. I have developed a personal relationship with the family. And I have a personal interest in this case,” he explained.
He hopes that DNA and fingerprint technology advancements will lead them to a suspect. The police continue to retest evidence from Marina’s case.
It’s important to note that multiple people entered her hotel room and touched objects, including maids and those who attempted to resuscitate her, which presents a challenge for authorities. Nonetheless, a DNA match could potentially help the police find Marina’s killer, who might’ve been waiting inside her hotel room or had broken in.
“DNA technology is now really advanced, and our ability to examine enhanced fingerprints could lead us to someone. But there’s also a reason why cases like this stay cold for so long. It’s probably going to take a technological breakthrough, or someone [in jail] talks to someone else, or someone confesses on their deathbed,” Sgt. Pfarr said.
In 1994, the Ruggieros sued the motel for lacking adequate security and won, receiving $80,000. Over two decades later, Marina’s father, John, spoke to the Torrance Daily Breeze and described his daughter as a good girl who stayed out of trouble.
Leading up to her death, Marina had been dating her boyfriend, Greg Hald, for three years. He was visiting Mexico at the time of her murder, and afterward, he stated Marina was the “love of his life.” The pair had even discussed getting married one day.
As of 2025, Marina’s murder has gone unsolved for more than 31 years. She was last seen wearing a burgundy suit with a matching knee-length skirt and jacket, as well as black shoes.
Anyone with information regarding her case is urged to contact the San Luis Obispo Police Department at (805) 781-7312.
More About:True Crime