The Murder of Sherri Rasmussen: How Bite Mark DNA Convicted LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus

On February 24, 1986, 29-year-old newlywed critical care nurse Sherri Rasmussen was found brutally beaten and shot to death inside her Van Nuys, California condominium. Initial LAPD detectives concluded the crime was a botched burglary committed by unidentified male intruders. But Sherri’s family maintained that an obsessive ex-girlfriend of Sherri’s husband—an active LAPD police officer—was responsible. For twenty-three years, the case sat cold inside police lockers. In 2009, cold case detectives re-examined a preserved bite mark saliva swab, uncovering female DNA that led straight to one of their own: decorated LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus.

The Crime Scene in Van Nuys: February 1986

Sherri Rasmussen was an accomplished director of critical care nursing at Glendale Adventist Medical Center. Just three months prior to her death, she had married John Ruetten, an electrical engineer. On the morning of February 24, 1986, Sherri stayed home from work to rest. When Ruetten returned home that evening, he found the front door unlocked, Sherri’s new BMW missing from the garage, and Sherri lying dead on the living room floor.

Sherri had fought desperately for her life. She had been severely beaten, shot three times in the chest through a decorative quilt at close range, and bitten viciously on her left inner forearm. Investigating officers from LAPD’s Van Nuys division concluded the murder was a burglary gone wrong, ignoring pleas from Sherri’s father, Nels Rasmussen, who warned detectives that John Ruetten’s former lover—LAPD patrol officer Stephanie Lazarus—had been stalking and threatening Sherri.

The Bite Mark Swab Preserved in Freezers

During the 1986 autopsy, criminalist Lloyd Mahaney made a pivotal forensic decision: he swabbed the deep bite mark on Rasmussen’s arm for saliva, dried the swab, and sealed it in an evidence tube. Because forensic DNA profiling did not yet exist in 1986, the tube was cataloged and placed inside LAPD evidence freezers.

Over the next two decades, Stephanie Lazarus steadily climbed the ranks of the LAPD, earning promotions to detective in the Internal Affairs Division and later becoming a lead investigator in the Commercial Crimes Art Theft detail.

Cold Case Re-Opening: The 2009 DNA Shock

In February 2009, the LAPD Cold Case Homicide Unit re-opened the Rasmussen case to screen old evidence for CODIS upload. Criminalist Jennifer Francis analyzed the preserved 1986 bite mark swab using modern Short Tandem Repeat (STR) DNA technology. The test yielded a complete, high-quality profile—and delivered a staggering revelation: the DNA belonged to a female.

Detectives Jim Nuttall and Shannon White re-interviewed John Ruetten, who revealed the full extent of his past relationship with Lazarus, including encounters after his engagement to Rasmussen. Detectives realized that Stephanie Lazarus was their prime suspect—operating as an active, armed detective just floors away from them in LAPD headquarters.

The Covert Operation and Dramatic Interrogation

To obtain a reference sample without alerting Lazarus, undercover detectives shadowed her off-duty. In May 2009, detectives retrieved a discarded soda cup and straw that Lazarus tossed into a trash bin outside a Costco store. Laboratory analysis confirmed that the DNA on the straw was an exact, indisputable match to the saliva on Sherri Rasmussen’s arm.

On June 5, 2009, detectives invited Lazarus into an interrogation room under the pretense of consulting on an art theft case. When detectives transitioned to questioning her about Sherri Rasmussen, Lazarus became evasive, defensive, and abruptly attempted to leave. She was immediately disarmed, arrested, and charged with first-degree murder.

Trial, Conviction, and Justice

In March 2012, a Los Angeles jury found Stephanie Lazarus guilty of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to 27 years to life in state prison. The Rasmussen homicide remains a testament to the uncompromising power of objective forensic science to pierce even the highest ranks of law enforcement.

Explore related landmark forensic breakthroughs and genetic genealogy investigations including the April Tinsley 1988 cold case, the Bear Brook Murders, the Carla Walker Fort Worth cold case, and the 1987 Van Cuylenborg-Cook murders.

The Staged Burglary & The Bite Mark Swab

On February 24, 1986, twenty-nine-year-old hospital nursing director Sherri Rasmussen was beaten and shot to death inside her condominium in Van Nuys, California. The initial LAPD investigation theorized the murder was a botched burglary committed by unidentified men. However, forensic examiners collected a saliva swab from a bite mark on Rasmussen’s arm, sealing the slide in cold storage.

In 2004, LAPD Cold Case Detective Jim Nuttall re-examined the evidence. Modern DNA analysis revealed that the saliva from the bite mark belonged to a female, shattering the original two-male burglary theory.

The Cup Surveillance & Conviction of Detective Stephanie Lazarus

In 2009, LAPD Cold Case detectives revisited Rasmussen’s husband, John Ruetten, and discovered that prior to his marriage, he had a long-term relationship with LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus. Undercover detectives followed Lazarus to a local Costco, collecting a discarded beverage cup and drinking straw.

The LAPD Forensic Science Division confirmed that Lazarus’s DNA matched the bite mark saliva. In March 2012, Stephanie Lazarus was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 27 years to life in prison, concluding one of the most remarkable intra-departmental homicide investigations in American police history.

The LAPD Internal Affairs Investigation & The Conviction of Stephanie Lazarus

The 1986 murder of Sherri Rasmussen inside her Van Nuys condominium was solved twenty-three years later when LAPD cold case detectives re-tested saliva from a bite mark on the victim’s arm, proving the killer was female.

Detectives collected a discarded cup from LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus, confirming an exact DNA match. In 2012, Lazarus was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 27 years to life in prison.

LAPD Cold Case Homicide Mastery & The Trial of Stephanie Lazarus

The conviction of veteran LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus in 2012 for the 1986 murder of Sherri Rasmussen remains one of the most compelling courtroom dramas in American legal history. Cold Case Detectives Jim Nuttall and Greg Stearns proved that saliva preserved on a bite mark swab from 1986 matched Lazarus’s DNA.

Lazarus’s 27-years-to-life prison sentence demonstrated that forensic DNA evidence applies equally to all individuals, regardless of badge or rank.

LAPD Van Nuys Condominium Scene & The Bite Mark Saliva

The 1986 murder of Sherri Rasmussen was initially misclassified as a botched burglary. In 2004, cold case detectives re-tested saliva from a bite mark on the victim’s arm, proving the killer was female.

The Costco Beverage Cup Surveillance & 27-to-Life Sentence

Detectives collected a discarded beverage cup from LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus, confirming an exact STR match. In 2012, Lazarus was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 27 years to life.

LAPD Cold Case Homicide Mastery & The Trial of Stephanie Lazarus

The conviction of veteran LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus in 2012 for the 1986 murder of Sherri Rasmussen remains one of the most compelling courtroom dramas in American legal history. Cold Case Detectives Jim Nuttall and Greg Stearns proved that saliva preserved on a bite mark swab from 1986 matched Lazarus’s DNA, resulting in a 27-years-to-life prison sentence.

LAPD Forensic Science Division & Cold Case Bite Mark Serology

The conviction of Stephanie Lazarus for the 1986 murder of Sherri Rasmussen highlighted the critical role of maintaining long-term biological evidence integrity. LAPD criminalists preserved the cotton bite-mark swab for twenty-three years, providing the incontrovertible DNA proof that convicted a veteran detective.

Los Angeles Police Commission Oversight & Forensic Accountability

The successful prosecution of Stephanie Lazarus led to comprehensive internal evidence custody audits by the Los Angeles Police Commission, ensuring that all biological specimens collected during internal or external homicides remain permanently indexed in climate-controlled storage.

Case Timeline & Key Forensic Milestones

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How did police prove Stephanie Lazarus killed Sherri Rasmussen?

Detectives matched DNA from a saliva swab taken from a bite mark on Sherri’s arm to DNA covertly collected from a soda cup used by Lazarus in 2009.

Why wasn’t Stephanie Lazarus investigated in 1986?

Initial 1986 detectives prematurely concluded the crime was committed by male burglars and dismissed warnings from the victim’s family regarding Lazarus.

What was Stephanie Lazarus’s sentence?

She was convicted of first-degree murder in March 2012 and sentenced to 27 years to life in California state prison.