Plastic surgeon charged with murder of lawyer after suspicious disappearance
A doctor in Florida was charged with the murder of a lawyer representing his former employer.
Dr Tomasz Kosowski, a 44-year-old plastic surgeon from Tarpon Springs, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after the mysterious disappearance of Steven Cozzi, a lawyer representing the Laufer Institute of Plastic Surgery in Clearwater.
Kosowski is currently suing the Laufer Institute, where he worked primarily performing breast augmentation until 2018. The surgeon alleges that the clinic lied to his patients and did not properly handle insurance billing, costing him tens of thousands of dollars and negative reviews.
Cozzi, who is an attorney at Blanchard Law, was assigned to Kosowski’s case. The lawyer mysteriously disappeared from his office on March 21.
According to the Largo Police Department, Cozzi left his wallet, car keys, and and cell phone at his desk, and left his vehicle in the parking lot. He was also never seen leaving the building by security.
Jake Blanchard, the firm’s managing partner, told WFLA that Cozzi left to take a bathroom break, but never returned.
‘During the investigation, there was a strong chemical odor in the men’s bathroom of the office and small drops of blood,’ the police said after the investigation. ‘A subsequent forensics investigation revealed a significant amount of blood in the same bathroom.’
Police then began searching for a ‘suspicious person and vehicle’ that were seen entering the Blanchard Law offices around the same time as Cozzi’s disappearance.
This search eventually lead investigators to Kosowski. After obtaining a search warrant, police found enough evidence in the doctor’s home to charge him with first-degree murder. Kosowski is currently being held at Pinellas County Jail.
Investigators have not yet released exactly what evidence was found in Kosowski’s home. They have also not found the location of Cozzi’s body. The investigation and search for the lawyer’s remains is ongoing, Largo Police said.
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