Barrie police ‘confident’ $100K reward will lead to answers in 2005 murder

The Barrie Police Service says it is “confident” that someone has information that could help solve a more than two-decade-old murder and is offering $100,000 for tips that lead to an arrest.

On April 14, 2005, April Dobson was sitting on her friend’s porch on Browning Trail in the Letitia Heights area when she was fatally shot. Twenty-one years later, police and the victim’s family are still searching for answers.

“This case has remained unsolved for far too long, and April’s family deserves answers,” Sgt. Brett Carleton with the Barrie Police Service, said in a press release. “Our commitment to solving this case has never wavered. We are considering all possibilities when looking at who may have been involved, and this has remained an active investigation.”

Police had previously offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. A spokesperson for the Barrie Police Service told Global News in a statement that the increase in the monetary reward coincides with Victims and Survivors of Crime Week.

“The pain of not knowing what happened remains fresh for her family and friends,” the press release states. “While life moves on for many, the uncertainty, grief, and questions left by this tragedy linger every day for those closest to her.”

Dobson’s mother and son spoke out in 2015 pleading for answers while hosting a candlelight vigil to mark 10 years since she was killed. Investigators say they are determined to bring answers to the family.

“Detectives are asking the public to think back and consider whether they were in the Browning Trail or Bronte Crescent area that night, noticed any unusual behaviour, or observed someone they know acting differently around that time,” police said in the release. “Even something that may have seemed unimportant or was dismissed years ago could now be the key to solving this case.”

As part of the initial investigation, police interviewed witnesses who reported a young man between the ages of 16 and 18 running from the home Dobson was at.

According to police, the man got on a mountain bike and disappeared down an unlit catwalk leading to Bronte Crescent and was never spotted again.

Police said they are still looking to identify and speak with this person of interest and believe he may have “critical information.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

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