Daughter still hopeful mother’s murder will be solved
Seven years have come and gone since her mother was found murdered inside her Rebel Hill home, but Judy Pierce continues to hold out hope the murderer will still be brought to justice.
“I just can’t give up,” Pierce said from her home in Alabama. “It’s just got to be solved sometime, sooner or later.”
Her mother, Lela Mae Adcock, 74, was found inside her McMinnville Housing Authority apartment on Rebel Hill on the morning of Dec. 23, 1996 when police arrived to conduct a welfare check after family members were unable to reach her on the phone. Upon gaining entry, police found Ms. Adcock’s body on the floor with her throat cut.
A subsequent investigation revealed no signs of forced entry and no apparent signs of theft. The on-scene investigation also revealed no good clues as to the identity of her attacker. Residents in the densely populated and normally quiet neighborhood reported seeing or hearing nothing out of the ordinary the weekend of the murder.
While the case is seven years old, McMinnville Police Investigator Lt. Derwin Adcock said investigators have not given up.
“We will never give up on it,” Adcock said. “The case is still being actively worked. Right now, what we need is more information, possibly from someone who may have seen something that weekend.”
District Attorney General Dale Potter said he hopes to see more cooperation from people who may be of assistance in getting to the bottom of case. Potter has long said lawmen have a good idea of who committed the crime, but as yet, investigators have not been able to get enough evidence to charge the suspect.
“Hopefully at some point in time we’ll be able to make an arrest,” Potter said.
Meanwhile, Pierce said each holiday season is greeted with dread given the horrible memories Christmas brings.
“Christmas is the worst time now because it brings back all those memories,” Pierce said. “I start dreading it even before it gets here.”
However, Pierce said it is important to remind the public about the case each year, so it is never forgotten.
“Hopefully, if we keep it out there, someone will finally come forward,” Pierce said.