Arrest made in the disappearance and death of Christi Ruso

Deputies with the Jasper County Sheriff's Department have arrested a suspect in connection with the disappearance and death of Cristi Ruso, a Buna woman who has not been seen or heard from since October 2021. The suspect 29-year-old Colby Hunter Tatom of Buna was taken into custody at 9:00 on Thursday evening at the Walmart Store on Highway 96 in Lumberton. Word is that evidence obtained in the investigation that was submitted to a Jasper County Grand Jury last month resulted in the indictment charging Tatom with 1st Degree Murder. Officers said it was information or evidence uncovered by Captain Jason McClellan that was submitted to the Grand Jury by District Attorney Anne Pickle and her staff that resulted in the indictment. At last word, Tatom was being held at the Hardin County Jail in Kountze, but it is expected that he will soon be transported back to Jasper County. Bond on Tatom has been set at $1 million. Tatom first appeared in the news in February of 2023, when officers from the department obtained and executed an evidentiary search warrant on a home where Tatom had been living on County Road 777 near Buna. Shortly after the search, Tatom was arrested and charged with Driving While Driver's License Suspended, Violation of rules regarding a child seat, Possession of a Controlled Substance and Theft of Property, which were all charges unrelated to the disappearance or search for Ruso. However, it is believed that evidence found during that search resulted in a major break in the case.