OVID -- Investigators in Seneca County are offering a $10,000 reward for information in the murder of a college student back in 1985.
It's been nearly 25 years since Kristin O'Connell's body was found in Ovid with her throat slashed.
Authorities are also re-releasing an old audio tape of an anonymous call made to police about a week after she was murdered. In the call, a man asks troopers if they want to "know who killed that girl" (Kristin). Investigators hope someone who hears the tape will know who made the call. They hope it will help lead to O'Connell's killer.
Our Alex Dunbar is working on this story. Stay with CNY Central for updates.
A cold case in Seneca County could be heating up. In 1985, college student Kristin O'Connell was murdered, while visiting a friend in Ovid. Now, 25 years later, Kristin's mother remains optimistic, and still believes police will solve the murder.
Phyllis O'Connell traveled to Central New York Thursday, all the way from her home in Minnesota. Friday, she'll stand with State Police as they announce a new reward to encourage people to step forward with information.
Kristin was last seen on an August night in 1985. Witnesses claim she was walking on County Route 139 in Ovid around midnight. Days later, she was found dead with her throat slashed. Now, more than two decades later, her mother is still searching for answers.
"To have this happen, and to have her taken, and her whole life taken, I will never rest until I have a resolution," said Phyllis.
Phyllis believes police are closer than ever to cracking the case, and remains optimistic, that someone knows who did this. "I have had many, many people come to me with information, and we're putting it all together," she said. "There comes a time in life when you have to start standing up for what's right," she said. Though over the years, the unsolved murder case has seen it's share of setbacks, including a dispute with New York State over DNA testing.
State police are still investigating an anonymous call, that came in about a week after Kristin was murdered. In it, a man asks the trooper who answers if he wants to "know who killed that girl" (Kristin). Friday, investigators will re-release that audio tape, in hopes that the public knows who is on the other line. "Maybe somebody will recognize that voice," said Phyllis.
And maybe it will be the missing piece in a 25-year-old puzzle, of who killed Kristin. "I will never give up, never," said Phyllis.
State Police are holding their comments until Friday's news conference, when they plan to offer a $10,000 dollar reward for information related to this murder case.
