RANDOLPH COUNTY, N.C. -- Randolph County sheriff’s officials believes someone killed Judy Rawlings back in 2001, but they have yet to find the killer.
Now, family friends and Crime Stoppers are giving more people an incentive to speak out.
The sheriff’s office recently asked Crime Stoppers to increase it’s reward from $2,000 to $5,000.
Family friends are also offering their own reward. Ronnie Tate and his brother will give $10,000 to whoever has a solid lead in the case.
“We are going to do whatever we have to do to make sure that somebody pays for what they did to her,” Tate said.
According to the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, a hunter found Rawlings' body partially clothed in field off Groom Road two weeks after her disappearance.
Tammy Schmidt reported her 16-year-old daughter missing on Oct. 5, 2001.
“They said they would have the case solved for me in a year, but it's been 17 years,” Schmidt said.
She hopes the additional money from both her friends and Crime Stoppers will encourage someone to speak up so she can have closure.
“I would like to know the truth about what happened to her,” Schmidt said. “She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve what happened to her. She was a good girl. She loved everybody and her problem was she trusted everybody. “
Crime Stoppers of Randolph County also raised their reward amounts for information on other cold cases, including Tina Mae Rook (2012) from $3,000 to $5,000 and William Ray Davis (1994) from $1,000 to $5,000.00.
Anyone with information on these cases is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at (336) 672-6473 .