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Bertha Reynolds was Found Beaten and Strangled in Her Home, But the Killer's Still Loose
Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 8:00 am
On July 9, 1993 a family friend found Bertha M. Reynolds, 60, lying at the bottom of the basement stairs at her home in Norwich, Connecticut. An autopsy showed that she had died of blunt force head trauma and strangulation. But who killed her?
She had no known enemies that surfaced, and without a motive to help establish why anyone would want her dead made it difficult for the cops to focus on anyone.
Police announced that they were seeking a man whose last known address was in Groton. However, investigators refused to say why the man was being sought, who he was and whether there was a relationship between him and the victim, or whether--to this day--he had ever been found.
Bertha M. Reynolds was found beaten and strangled to death in her home in 1993
Although a reward of $10,000 had initially been announced, the state last week, announced that the reward had been increased to $50,000--the maximum allowed by state law.
Husband James Reynolds, 71, now remarried and living in another city with his second wife, has renewed hope that his first wife's killer will now be found. He said that he still doesn't know who killed Bertha or what precisely had happened when she was murdered.
"We're just hoping we do get some answers here and...some closure on it," Reynolds said.
In addition to the increased reward, the newly-formed Southeastern Connecticut/New London County Cold Case Unit is taking on the case and is reminding the public about the reward.
"Initially we had run into some dead ends, and what we're trying to do with the cold-case squad is reinvestigate and redevelop anything that may hopefully solve the case," said Norwich Police Chief Louis J. Fusaro Sr. "There's some technology available now that wasn't available then. It's a complete review and a complete reinvestigation from the beginning. We don't want to leave any stone unturned."
Fusaro said that potential witnesses will be questioned again, with the hope that new leads might surface.
In the meantime, anyone with information regarding this case is asked to please call the Connecticut Cold Case Unit tip line at (866) 623--8058. All calls will be kept confidential.
Tags: Connecticut
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