Clarksville-Montgomery County's Crime Stoppers increase cash reward up to $5,000 for cold case homicide tips

Clarksville-Montgomery County Crime Stoppers on Thursday announced an increase in cash rewards — up to $5,000 for cold case homicide tips.

On Nov. 15, Crime Stoppers board members voted to increase the cash reward amount from $1,000 to $5,000 for anonymous tips that will lead to an arrest or conviction related to unsolved homicides that are more than three years old.

Deanna McLaughlin, the chairperson of Crime Stoppers, said the families of cold cases victims want closure.

"They would like the people responsible for the death of their family member brought to justice," McLaughlin said. "We need the community to step forward and provide that information."

The increase is effective as of Dec. 1. Here's a list of the current cold cases that qualify for the up to $5,000 cash reward:

• Gary Waggoner - Aug. 17, 1991

• Jerry Cope - Jan. 14, 1992

• Howard Batie - Jan, 11, 1995

• Aaron Walker- Sept. 26, 1995

• Azuria Johnson Jan. 6, 1996

• Felicia Carson Jan. 11, 1996

• Diana Nix - May 3, 1996

• Terry Hoskins -Sept. 28, 1996

• Jacqueline Sims - March 18, 1998

• Scott Lee Dupree Dec. 31, 2001

• Victoria Ochoa Aug. 15, 2005

• Edwin Mathurin - Sept. 2, 2006

• Dennis Freeman - Nov.11, 2007

• George Dyess Jan. 8, 2009

• James Stacker April 25, 2012

• Vincent Pardue - March 23, 2015

• James Brown - Jan4, 2016

• Darius Walton - June 12, 2016

• Dorris Clinard - Nov. 28, 2016

• Steven Everett Davies - March 1, 2017

• Rayquan Hudson - Nov. 20, 2017

• Tavon Wilson - Jan. 8, 2018

Capt. Liane Wilson, the commander of the Clarksville Police Department’s Special Operations Division, said the Special Operations Unit has solved seven cases in the last two years that were considered cold.

McLaughlin said she hopes the reward increase will inspire people who may have that one piece of key evidence to make a case prosecutable.

Where did the additional money being rewarded come from?

McLaughlin said the organization raises funds and receives a portion of guilty traffic tickets from the city of Clarksville. In February, the organization will host a Blue Jean Ball and Dinner to help raise more funds.

"We are hoping to clear about $15,000 on that which would provide money for three rewards," McLaughlin stated.

29 cases, 4 missing persons

If a missing persons case has been ongoing for more than a year, or is suspected of foul play, it will be added to the list, Wilson said.

There are currently 29 cold case homicides, four of which are missing persons cases.

How to report tips to Crime Stoppers

• Call the Clarksville-Montgomery County Crime Stoppers at 931-645-TIPS

• Visit www.p3tips.com to submit a tip

• Download the P3 Tips iOS or Android mobile app that allows anonymous, two-way dialogue. The tipster will be provided a unique code to status check the investigation and the possible reward. No information is collected from the person to identify them, McLaughlin said.

Alexis Clark can be reached at aclark@gannett.com or 931-217-8510.

How to report tips to Crime Stoppers

• Call the Clarksville-Montgomery County Crime Stoppers at 931-645-TIPS

• Visit www.p3tips.com to submit a tip

• Download the P3 Tips iOS or Android mobile app that allows anonymous, two-way dialogue. The tipster will be provided a unique code to status check the investigation and the possible reward. No information is collected from the person to identify them, McLaughlin said.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Why Crime Stoppers is increasing rewards for cold case homicide tips