Maryland State Police looking for leads on convicted murderer who may be connected to other crimes

Convicted murderer may be linked to other unsolved cases, Maryland State Police say

Investigators in Maryland are searching for leads to help with unsolved cases that may be connected to a convicted murderer who confessed to a 2006 case before dying.

FREDERICK COUNTY, Md. - Maryland State Police are looking for any leads on homicide cases that may be connected to a convicted murderer and former truck driver who is now dead.

In September 2022, Maryland State Police charged 64-year-old Garry Artman of White Springs, Florida with the murder of Dusty Shuck, a 24-year-old woman whose body was found near a rest stop in Frederick County in 2006.

He was charged with first- and second-degree murder and first- and second-degree assault and was waiting to be extradited to Maryland from a Michigan prison when he died on Dec. 28, 2023.

At the time of the new charges, Artman was already in jail for a murder case in Michigan. He was found guilty in the 1996 cold case murder of a woman in Michigan in September 2023 and was transferred to the Michigan Department of Corrections, where he awaited extradition to Maryland to stand trial for Shuck’s murder.

While serving his time, Artman had to be taken to a Michigan hospital where he was being treated for a terminal illness.

Maryland State Police interviewed Artman while he was in the hospital in December 2023. That’s when he confessed to Shuck’s murder — and several other "heinous crimes," police say.

"Hearing that he confessed made it that much better, because…not that it was better but more of a closure. You know? He really actually said it out loud," Shuck’s mother, Lori Kreutzer told FOX 5.

Shuck’s mother said when Artman was charged with her daughter’s death, she knew police had the right suspect.

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"For me, I was just waiting. It was like…I couldn’t imagine the universe letting this go for so long. I’m just so thankful for the divine justice and also the physical justice in this world that has taken place," Kreutzer said.

Kreutzer now lives near Tucson, Arizona. At the time of her daughter’s death, she said the family was living in New Mexico. Shuck, who had been living with schizophrenia for a few years, vanished about 10 days before she was found dead.

"I’m glad she didn’t have the disease that long, schizophrenia, to be remembered that way. But to remember her, I mean…she was a gentle, happy-go-lucky soul…she would bend over backwards for anybody," Kreutzer said. "She was a good kid. A good baby, easy to work with, you know? Good child. She was a sweetheart."

Artman succumbed to his illness and passed away on Dec. 28, 2023.

Police now say due to his transient lifestyle as a truck driver and the information he gave them, they believe there may be additional unsolved cases that he’s connected to.

But Elena Russo, a spokesperson for Maryland State Police, said Artman provided very little information about the crimes before he died.

"Garry Artman, the murderer responsible for Dusty Shuck. He may be dead and gone but this investigation which includes the Maryland state police, the FBI, and Michigan law enforcement officers who are working diligently to bring justice to victims who may be out there…this investigation is very much alive," Russo said Thursday.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit at 410-996-7881. All callers may remain anonymous.