Fla. plastic surgeon accused of killing missing lawyer whose firm represented people he was suing

LARGO, Fla. (TCD) -- A Pinellas County plastic surgeon was arrested over the weekend for allegedly killing a missing attorney whose firm was representing several people who were defendants in lawsuits brought by the doctor.

On Sunday, March 26, the Largo Police Department announced officers took 44-year-old Tomasz Roman Kosowski into custody on suspicion of murder in connection with Steven Cozzi’s disappearance and death.

Cozzi, the attorney, was reported missing March 21. Cozzi was last seen at his office on South Belcher Road and left his keys, wallet, cellphone, and car behind, but no one ever saw him leave the building. Investigators noted a "strong chemical odor" and small drops of blood in the men’s bathroom, and further forensic analysis "revealed a significant amount of blood in the same bathroom."

WFLA-TV reports Cozzi went to the bathroom and never returned.

Largo Police said they started searching for a "suspicious person and vehicle" that were at the office around the same time Cozzi went missing, which led them to Kosowski. Investigators obtained a search warrant for Kosowski’s home, and he was arrested following a traffic stop in Tarpon Springs due to evidence found at his home.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Cozzi’s law firm was representing several defendants in a lawsuit Kosowski filed against people from his workplace, the Laufer Institute of Plastic Surgery. He was reportedly suing for damages, breach of contract and fraudulent misrepresentation, and negligence.

MORE:

• Arrest Made in Missing Person's Case - Largo Police Department
• Pinellas plastic surgeon faces murder charge of missing lawyer, Steven Cozzi - Tampa Bay Times
• Largo lawyer disappears under suspicious circumstances, police say - WFLA