NORRISTOWN, PA — Fifteen years after a 29-year-old mother of two was brutally stabbed to death inside her apartment, law enforcement officials in Montgomery County are renewing their push for justice.
Armed with newly uncovered evidence, the District Attorney’s office has announced a cash reward for information that finally blows the cold case wide open.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele announced a $2,500 reward for any tip that leads to the arrest and eventual conviction of the individual responsible for the 2011 homicide of Jessica Manzanero.
Discovery on East Moore Street
The tragic mystery began on the evening of Wednesday, May 4, 2011. Landlords checking on the property entered Manzanero’s apartment on the 500 block of East Moore Street in Norristown around 9:00 PM and made a horrific discovery.
Manzanero was found lying face down on her living room floor in a large pool of blood.
Responding officers from the Norristown Police Department secured the scene, and a subsequent autopsy conducted by the Montgomery County Coroner confirmed that the young mother had died from multiple stab wounds.
Her death was officially ruled a homicide, with forensic investigators estimating that she was killed two days prior to her discovery, on or about May 2, 2011.
“New Information” Sparks Renewed Investigation
Despite a massive initial investigation, the trail went cold as detectives exhausted their local leads. However, recent breakthroughs by specialized cold case units have breathed new life into the 15-year-old file.
In an official public statement, District Attorney Kevin Steele revealed that the department’s patience and persistence are starting to pay off.
“Montgomery County Detectives never give up on an unsolved murder, and recently, new information about this murder has been discovered by detectives,” Steele announced. “We are looking for additional information from the public regarding the murder of this young mother of two children. No detail is too insignificant to share with our detectives.”
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How to Submit an Anonymous Tip
While the District Attorney’s office has withheld specific details regarding the nature of the newly discovered leads to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, they believe members of the local community hold the missing pieces to solve the puzzle.
Even a seemingly minor memory, an unusual interaction observed in May 2011, or secondhand information could be critical to building a successful criminal prosecution.
- Contact Number: Anyone with information regarding the murder of Jessica Manzanero is urged to contact the Montgomery County Homicide Detectives directly at 610-278-3386.
- Reward Terms: The $2,500 cash reward is active and will be distributed upon the successful arrest and conviction of the perpetrator.
With advances in genetic genealogy and forensic technology routinely cracking decades-old cold cases, do you think county police departments should receive dedicated federal funding solely to re-test DNA evidence from unsolved homicides?
Share your thoughts and help keep Jessica’s memory alive in the comments below.
