MOUNT VERNON — Knox County Sheriff David Barber announced Monday evening the creation of a reward for information in the investigation into the unsolved Jean Davis homicide.
Crimes in the Bladensburg area
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“This is all being done through Licking County Crime Stoppers,” Barber said.
Crime Stoppers will collect tips to be turned over to law enforcement.
Barber said Crime Stoppers will be a great addition to the investigation.
“They’re well established, they’re recognized as an organization that coordinated reward offers in homicides and other unsolved crimes,” he said. “All information that’s received will all be turned over to us; they don’t do any follow-up. They are the vehicle to receive information from the public and provide it to us.”
Up to $1,000 in reward money is being offered by Licking County Crime Stoppers. The Knox County Farm Bureau is additionaly offering up to $2,500.
Barber hopes the offer of a reward for information leading to an arrest in the case will bring new information to light.
“We’re hopeful that the reward program will generate valid, useful information to assist in our investigation,” he said.
Davis was murdered Dec. 20, 2009, outside of her home on Dennis Church Road. Her 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche pick-up truck was recovered in a residential neighborhood in Newark the next day.
Barber said he did not involve Crime Stoppers or a reward earlier because detectives were already sorting through multiple tips.
“We’ve gotten so much rumor in the process we were trying to sift through, we didn’t need the lure of money to add to that,” he explained. “There was still a lot of information detectives were trying to chase down.
“This is still an active investigation which remains the priority of the sheriff’s office,” he said.
The sheriff encourages anyone with information in this case to contact Licking County Crime Stoppers at (740) 349-6888 or toll free at (888) 488-9058; the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division at 393-6800; or the toll-free Crime Trip Line at (888) 363-8477.
