The Wayne County Sheriff's Department has identified a "person of interest" in the murder of Silvia Benetez Morales. But authorities say they do not have enough evidence to make an arrest at this time.
Capt. Tom Effler of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office says that through interviews and leads, they have been able to make that determination.
"Right now, we need the public's assistance," said Effler. "We need anyone with any information to come forward."
He said that any bit of information, no matter how small it may seem, could help identify the killer.
Morales suffered a gunshot wound to the head sometime between 1:15 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. on March 3. She was found by her 7-year-old daughter, who had returned home from school. Morales' other child, a 3-year-old son, was in the home at the time of the killing.
When the daughter found her mother, the little girl called her father, Javier Acuna, who was at work He came home and called 911.
"At this time, we have no motive and we don't know if this was a random crime or not," said Effler. "There were no signs of a robbery."
Even though investigators haven't been able to make an arrest, they are still actively pursing every lead.
"We follow every lead every chance we get," said Effler. "This case is definitely being actively pursued."
A reward of $14,000 has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the murder by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office, Wayne County CrimeStoppers and an anonymous donor.
Anyone who saw or heard anything that could assist with the investigation is asked to call the Wayne County Sheriff's Office at (919)731-1493 or Wayne County CrimeStoppers at (919)735-2255.
gina@wilsontimes.com | 265-7821