On Tuesday, Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers announced an increase in cash rewards for cold cases. The new amount is $5,000, which is the state's maximum amount allowed."There's so much information within our community, so much silence in this community," says Trish Routte, Crime Stoppers Manager. "If cash is going to be the incentive, fine. We are anxious and ready to pay that money; we just need people to come forward."Southwest Florida has roughly 400 open cold cases. "We define a cold case as the point when an investigation when all leads have been exhausted, and detectives do not have anything more to go on," said Routte. When cases go cold, they often rely on cash rewards as incentives to bring someone with information forward. Lauren Dumolo's case has gone cold. She was last seen in Cape Coral on June 18th, 2020. "Sometimes my phone rings, and it's a Florida number, and I'm like, 'could that be my daughter trying to call me?' because you still have that little bit of hope because nothing has ever surfaced," says Paul Dumolo, Lauren's father.Dumolo says he knows someone is out there with information about his daughter's disappearance. "Not having closure, not knowing, is worse than knowing, and I never thought I would say that," said Dumolo.The money Crime Stoppers uses to pay out cash rewards comes from criminals."It comes back to us in the form of a grant, and we're able to use that money to pay out rewards," said Routte. She says the push to increase cold case rewards is something the board of Crime Stoppers decided to do to push for answers on these cases. "That is a cheap price to pay to be able to get that kind of closure on a case," says Routte. The new reward is effective today. If you have information on a cold case, you can remain anonymous and be eligible for this $5,000 cash reward."Do it for the family that has been waiting all this time for closure and do it for yourself because you can get some money in your pocket; it's a win-win for everybody," said Routte.
FORT MYERS, Fla. —
On Tuesday, Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers announced an increase in cash rewards for cold cases. The new amount is $5,000, which is the state's maximum amount allowed.
"There's so much information within our community, so much silence in this community," says Trish Routte, Crime Stoppers Manager. "If cash is going to be the incentive, fine. We are anxious and ready to pay that money; we just need people to come forward."
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Southwest Florida has roughly 400 open cold cases.
"We define a cold case as the point when an investigation when all leads have been exhausted, and detectives do not have anything more to go on," said Routte.
When cases go cold, they often rely on cash rewards as incentives to bring someone with information forward.
Lauren Dumolo's case has gone cold. She was last seen in Cape Coral on June 18th, 2020.
"Sometimes my phone rings, and it's a Florida number, and I'm like, 'could that be my daughter trying to call me?' because you still have that little bit of hope because nothing has ever surfaced," says Paul Dumolo, Lauren's father.
Dumolo says he knows someone is out there with information about his daughter's disappearance.
"Not having closure, not knowing, is worse than knowing, and I never thought I would say that," said Dumolo.
The money Crime Stoppers uses to pay out cash rewards comes from criminals.
"It comes back to us in the form of a grant, and we're able to use that money to pay out rewards," said Routte.
She says the push to increase cold case rewards is something the board of Crime Stoppers decided to do to push for answers on these cases.
"That is a cheap price to pay to be able to get that kind of closure on a case," says Routte.
The new reward is effective today. If you have information on a cold case, you can remain anonymous and be eligible for this $5,000 cash reward.
"Do it for the family that has been waiting all this time for closure and do it for yourself because you can get some money in your pocket; it's a win-win for everybody," said Routte.
