Polk Sheriff Seeks Leads in 1990 Andrew Varga Homicide

Polk County Sheriff's Office detectives are seeking information regarding the unsolved homicide of Andrew Varga, discovered over 36 years ago.

Detectives found Varga's body on May 3, 1990, in a canal behind Akerman, Inc., located at 350 N. Galloway Rd. in Lakeland. The discovery occurred around noon on a Friday. Varga, 70, was last seen on May 1, 1990. He traveled from Oviedo to Tampa with his wife, dropping her off for a hair appointment at 11:30 a.m. and saying he would return in an hour. He left the salon between 1:15 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. in his 1985 dark blue Chrysler Fifth Avenue but did not return for his wife.

Later that day, May 3, 1990, at 9:25 p.m., Varga's vehicle was recovered on the 3000 block of North Central Avenue in Tampa. The circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation.

Anyone with information about this cold case is encouraged to contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit at (863) 298-6379 or email [email protected].