Army investigators hoping to get someone to talk about the murder of a soldier three years ago have increased the reward to $75,000.
The Army Criminal Investigation Command, known as CID, has not charged anyone and will not release whether there are any suspects in the slaying of Pfc. Amanda Gonzales, a 19-year-old Texan found dead Nov. 5, 2001, in her barracks room in Hanau, Germany.
Investigators ruled the death a homicide by asphyxiation, CID officials said.
Shortly after Gonzales’ death, the CID offered a $20,000 reward for information in the case. It boosted the reward in mid-2003 to $50,000. Now, investigators issued an Army-wide release of the latest increase to motivate anyone with information to come forward.
“We want to speak with anyone who may have information — in Germany or anywhere else in the world,” CID spokesman Chris Grey, based in Fort Belvoir, Va., wrote in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes.
“The reward was increased by CID because we are determined to bring whomever is responsible for the death of this soldier to justice.… We are reaching out to the community at large to encourage anyone who may have information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward and do the right thing.”
Gonzales, a cook assigned to Headquarters Supply Company of the 127th Aviation Support Battalion on Fliegerhorst Casern, was four months pregnant at the time of her death.
Grey said during a phone interview that though it has been three years, death investigations take time and there still is hope of finding Gonzales’ killer.
“We want to solve this murder.... Someone somewhere knows something that can help us put the pieces of this puzzle together.”
Grey said there has continually been a special agent assigned to the Gonzales case and that CID has been working with the FBI and other investigative firms to solve the death.
In earlier Stars and Stripes reports, Gonzales’ father, Santos “T.C.” Gonzales, said the Army kept four soldiers from leaving Hanau as part of the investigation. Later, an agent told him the suspects were released and had gone back to the States.
Last year, Stars and Stripes reported that many friends and family members had given up hope that the CID was still looking for the murderer.
However, Grey insists that CID is continuing the search and does care about finding out who killed Gonzales.
“We take pride in solving crimes,” Grey said from his Virginia office.
Anyone with information on the case can call the Hanau CID office at DSN 323-2303 or 323-2863, or civilian (+49) (0)6181- 180-2303 or (0)6181-180-2863. Also, tips can be e-mailed to CID at crime.tips@belvoir.army.mil.
