Illinois police reopen 40-year-old cold case
ATKINSON - Illinois State Police officials are re-interviewing people who were questioned 40 years ago about the strangulation death of a 16-year-old western Illinois girl.
Mary Ann Becker was found beaten and strangled on her Atkinson home's living room floor in 1974. Illinois State Police investigators reopened the cold case, which they say is the oldest in the East Moline office, earlier this year.
"We want to really give this the attention it deserves," Master Sergeant Chris Endress said. "It's been 40 years. We want to see where it takes us."
Several investigators, including Endress, renewed their search for the suspect in January, The (Moline) Dispatch reported. Since then, they have discovered several people who were never interviewed after the slaying. Many of the people who were involved in the original investigation, including the county coroner who determined Becker hadn't been raped, have since died.
Becker's parents have both died and the remaining family members have moved away, leaving the two-story home abandoned.
The homicide is one of the most traumatic things that's happened in the small town, Endress said, and the remaining residents still remember it vividly. Horrifying details of the incident, such as the use of a clothesline and electrical cord in the strangulation, have stuck with people who were alive at the time.
The attack sparked a community discussion about the need for increased security in homes.
Many residents speculated about the killer. Some people thought he or she could've been a local, while others thought the suspect used a nearby interstate for a quick exit out of town. Police released a composite sketch of a man who may not have been a suspect but was seen walking outside of the Becker house that night. Endress couldn't comment on whether the man had been questioned by police.
Henry County Crime Stoppers recently increased its usual $1,000 reward by $15,000 for information leading to an arrest. But investigators realize the killer may already be dead.
"Our suspect could certainly be 50, 60-plus years old. We understand that, but we have to see this thing through," Endress said.
Investigators hope new technology, including DNA testing and forensic examinations, will lead to answers.
"I think cold cases like this get solved all over the country every year," Endress said.
The investigation could finally be resolved if a person comes forward with information they didn't think was important 40 years ago, he said.