New developments in a cold case have prompted police in Madison, Conn., to offer a $50,000 reward in the hope of solving a 15-year-old murder.
“There have been new developments,” Madison Police Capt. Jeremy Yorke told WTNH-TV. “There’s been advancements in DNA technology that we are actively pursuing.”
Barbara Hamburg, 48, was found stabbed and bludgeoned to death on her front lawn on March 3, 2010, in the approximately 18,000-population town about 20 miles east of New Haven. She had been renting a three-bedroom ranch for herself and her two children after divorcing her husband, Jeffrey Hamburg, in 2002.
The ex-spouses were still haggling over money and had been due in family court the morning she was killed, The Hartford Courant reported. But Barbara Hamburg never showed up for the hearing about thousands of dollars in alimony and child support that she contended her ex owed.
Her sister, Conway Beach, and Hamburg’s daughter found her on the lawn, covered in couch cushions, People reported.
Jeffrey Hamburg submitted DNA and hair samples at the time to comply with a search warrant, WVIT-TV reported. He was questioned but never charged and was never considered a suspect, the outlet reported.
In 2020 Hamburg’s son, Madison Hamburg, directed a four-part documentary, “Murder on Middle Beach,” about his mother’s unsolved killing. Started as a school project in college, it ended up airing on HBO. He was just 18 when his mother died.
Gov. Ned Lamont authorized the amplified reward on Tuesday.
Connecticut State’s Attorney John Doyle Jr. and Madison Police Chief John Drumm “believe that the new reward amount will renew public interest and awareness of the tragic death of Ms. Hamburg, and that individuals with information will be prompted to come forward,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement announcing the reward. “The public is advised not to underestimate the significance of what they may know and not to assume that law enforcement must already possess that information. Sometimes a small piece of information may be what investigators need to solve a case and achieve a successful prosecution.”
With News Wire Services
