CINCINNATI — Joy Marshall forgives the person who shot and killed her son, Micah Wise. She just wants to know who they are. Ten years of wanting haven’t dulled her hunger for answers, she said Wednesday night.
Marshall spends each anniversary of Wise’s death with a small group of friends and family, including his father, Mark Flagg. All said they still pray for closure.
She hopes Crime Stoppers’ recent decision to increase the the rewards offered for information in unsolved homicides could help them get there.
The organization, which solicits tips to help investigations, offered a standard $1,000 for useful information in homicide investigations for more than 30 years. Chairman Gene Ferrara said that, contrary to what some might believe, higher rewards do not always generate better results.
“They’ve actually come out and said it’s not a good idea to go to the really big rewards, that $10,000 and things like that,” he said.
The local branch of the organization decided on a smaller bump to test its efficacy on a local level. Anyone who provides useful information in a homicide investigation during the first quarter of 2019 will receive a $2,500 reward.
The experiment will help Ferrara answer important questions: “Did it get better over a period of time? Are we getting more tips? Are we getting better tips?”
It could also help Joy Marshall and her family find the closure for which they’ve waited a decade.
“If you know something, say something,” she said. “Our young men are dying and killing each other, and it’s not worth it.”
