Post by Joanna on Jul 8, 2015 2:40:09 GMT -5
Information Sought in Murder of Monique Marlowe
Without a credible lead in quite some time, Gwinnett County police and the family of Monique Marlow – a woman shot outside a Hertz Rent-A-Car location in Duluth – have stepped up efforts to gather information in the unsolved murder case. Police announced the family has added added $50,000, raising the total reward to $100,000, for any information that could help identify the suspect in the incident that occurred Saturday, September 21, 2012. Hertz Rent-A-Car initially offered $25,000 and around a year after the shooting increased the reward to $50,000.
“I got to thinking that I’m an older guy and I would certainly like to see the person apprehended and punished,” Dan Marlowe, Monique’s father, said Tuesday of something that’s on his mind constantly. “I can’t let it go like it never happened. … She was a good girl, couldn’t ask for anything better.” The family’s reward is available only to someone who provides credible information within 90 days.
“We’ve had a lot of luck and success with the media’s help,” police spokeswoman Cpl. Michele Pihera said. “Our media releases are capturing a lot of people, and we’re hoping to keep that streak going.” Pihera said it’s possible that as time has passed, the suspect has become lax about the information, possibly has been arrested and shared information with a cell mate. The suspect may also be dead or no longer in the area. “It’s hard to keep information such as this private, and if he’s told someone and (we hope) someone will see this as doing the right thing, with a bonus,” Pihera added.
Dan Marlowe retired when Monique was in the first grade and said their relationship was very close. Monique was involved with swimming, tennis and music, especially the bassoon. But toward the end of her college career, she pursued international business and traveled to Costa Rica, Spain, France, Italy and Germany.
The case has remained with Detective C. J. Robertson, who left the homicide unit and now investigates motor vehicle thefts. Pihera said the case is still on Robertson’s desk and he is still in touch with the Marlowe family. Dan said they have a good rapport and the father believes the detective has done everything possible. Robertson has also met with the family to hand out flyers.
About five months after the incident, a billboard near Interstate 85 and Pleasant Hill Road was posted requesting tips leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.
Marlowe was a graduate of Apalachee High School and the University of Georgia and had worked for Hertz about two years. She was cleaning out a car at the Duluth facility on Satellite Boulevard when an assailant, described only as a black male wearing a blue shirt, approached her, shot once and fled.
When officers arrived, they found the 25-year old victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. She was surrounded by co-workers who were attempting to administer first aid while awaiting police and an ambulance. Marlowe provided the brief description of the suspect as she was loaded into an ambulance. She said she didn’t know the person who shot her. Soon after arriving at the hospital, she died of her injuries.
It is unknown if the perpetrator left the vicinity on foot or in a vehicle. Officers saturated the area and conducted area searches and searched dumpsters in an attempt to identify a suspect or discover evidence in the case, Pihera said. Despite the heavy presence of officers, no credible leads could be established. Over the next several days and weeks, scheduled canvases of the area were conducted by officers and detectives. Dan Marlowe said he feared buses from a nearby bus station blocked the view of possible witnesses and the loud engines masked the sound of the gunshot.
The young woman's parents believe Monique was wearing a necklace the day she was murdered and that it was taken by the man who shot her. The item wasn't found among her possessions and, in the beginning, they hoped it might lead to an arrest.
If anyone has any information to share in this case, contact Robertson at 770-513-5300. To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.crimestoppersatlanta.org. Crime Stoppers tipsters can receive up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in the case. The $100,000 reward is not available through Crime Stoppers.
Source: Keith Farner, The Gwinnett Daily Post, July 7, 2015.
