FBI Offers Reward on 25th Anniversary of Cold Case

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Illinois State Police have jointly announced a five-figure reward for information leading to suspects in a murder that took place 25 years ago, yesterday.

Tammy Zywicki, then a 21-year-old Iowa college student, was abducted on August 23, 1992 while stopped by a disabled vehicle on Interstate 80 in Illinois. Investigators located Zywicki’s body a week later in Missouri.

The New York Post notes that, “Illinois State Police and the FBI worked with other agencies after Zywicki’s body was found, but the task force was disbanded the following year.” As a result, “In the 25 years since her disappearance, efforts to crack the case have sputtered. Investigators looked at truckers suspected in killings and sexual attacks elsewhere, ranging from North Carolina to California, but eventually eliminated them from suspicion in Zywicki’s death.”

Leads as to the culprit have had to rely on sparse information regarding Zywicki’s final moments, with the Post writing that “some witnesses told authorities that a tractor-trailer was seen parked behind her car, while others say they saw a pickup truck.”

The FBI’s official Facebook account said offering the agency and their partners at the Illinois State Police “believe new techniques for testing DNA may help reveal the killer’s identity,” thus prompting the newly-announced $50,000 reward offer.