Cold case leads to arrest in recent slaying of Perris woman

A lead from a 10-year-old rape case has led to the arrest of a man suspected of killing a 23-year-old Perris woman, according to authorities.

Police arrested Sue Robert Seiuli, 34, late Saturday afternoon in connection with the February slaying of Sylvia Marie Flores, whose body was found in a Redlands orange grove.

A key break came with a DNA match linking the slaying and a 2003 San Bernardino incident in which a woman was kidnapped, assaulted and raped. No arrest was ever made in that case, but Redlands police decided to interview the woman.

From that interview, they were able to create a composite sketch of the attacker and gather details about his vehicle, information that was released in a September news conference.

“Based on that DNA we were able to talk to that victim and get a description,” said Carl Baker, spokesman for Redlands.

Detectives soon began receiving tips identifying Seiuli as a suspect.

Investigators believe Flores was a prostitute working in San Bernardino at the time of her death. She had last been seen at a gas station there.

Personal property belonging to Flores was later recovered near the area where the 2003 rape occurred.

In that case, the victim had accepted a ride from the person who then assaulted her. She escaped, but police never identified the attacker.

Seiuli, a San Bernardino resident, was arrested near a family member’s home in Colton. Officers took him to West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, where he is being held without bail.

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Twitter: @howardblume | howard.blume@latimes.com