$2,500 Reward Offered For Tips In 36-Year-Old Murder Of Girl Whose Body Was Found In Landfill
DETROIT (WWJ) - Authorities are hoping a $2,500 cash reward will be enough to encourage someone to speak up about the murder of a teenage girl that happened nearly four decades ago.
Fourteen-year-old Carla Tucker left her home on Elmwood St. in Detroit on June 19, 1979 and was headed to the grocery store. When Carla didn't return home, she was reported missing by her mother.
Carla's body was eventually found 13 years later on February 11, 1992 in the Matlin Road landfill in Carleton Township. However, officials at the time didn't know it was Carla and she was entered into the system as Jane Doe. Investigators say she was sexually assaulted, strangled to death and left in a 55-gallon drum encased in concrete.
In August of 2014, Carla's mother saw a newscast about unclaimed bodies and she, along with another daughter, submitted a DNA sample to the state. Six months later and 23-years to the day that the body was discovered, Carla was finally identified by a DNA match on February 11, 2015.
Carla was a student at Miller Middle School in Detroit. Her family described her as a kind-natured, gentle, quiet spirit who was also competitive. She ran track and was a spelling bee champion. She loved to watch games shows and was the big sister to her three brothers, Michael, Horace, Ronald and one sister, Stephanie. Her mother said Carla provoked peace among her siblings, who loved, respected and looked up to her as their big sister.
Crime Stoppers of Michigan is offering cash reward of up to $2,500 for information that leads to an arrest in the case. All rewards are paid anonymously.
To submit a tip, call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-SPEAK-UP or visit 1800speakup.org.
