Lorain man indicted in murder of woman

A Lorain man was indicted March 25 by a Lorain County Common Pleas Court grand jury on murder charges in the disappearance and death of a Lorain woman, according to court records.

Robert M. Cruz, 54, is charged in connection with the death of Michelle Opaliski, who went missing on Jan. 18.

Cruz is charged with aggravated murder and three additional counts of murder, all unclassified felony offenses.

He also is facing two counts of felonious assault, three counts of tampering with evidence and a single felony count of gross abuse of a corpse.

All of the murder and assault charges carry repeat violent offender specification.

Due to the suspicious circumstances surrounding her disappearance, Opaliski was posted on the Lorain County CSI Facebook page as a missing adult with a description of her vehicle, investigators said.

An initial investigation began with a tip from the public which led to police finding her vehicle parked on Shawnee Drive with a large amount of blood at the scene.

At 2:50 p.m., Jan. 22, detectives located Opaliski’s body near a gate in the 4300 block of Pearl Avenue.

Her injuries along with the location were not consistent with a natural death, police said.

Further investigation revealed Cruz as a suspect in Opaliski’s death, authorities said.

Lorain Police Department was assisted by the United States Marshals Service in taking Cruz into custody Jan. 23.

Cruz is in the Lorain County Jail on $1 million bond.

Cruz