REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. – Police are taking new steps to solve a cold case murder out of Sussex County.
Investigators are reinterviewing dozens of people in hopes of finding new information on the death of Paula Grossi, 45, of Rehoboth Beach.
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Thursday, Jan. 26, marks the five-year anniversary of Grossi’s death. Police have followed numerous leads but have yet to make an arrest.
“We feel that this is a very solvable case,” said Capt. Ralph Davis, commander of the state police homicide unit. “A little bit of information will help us get to a conclusion.”
On Wednesday, officers released a new composite sketch of one of the suspects in the case. Investigators initially offered a sketch of only one of the two suspects. Police said a new round of interviews led to information that helped create the second picture. The hope is photographs will lead to new information by sparking someone’s memory.
Grossi was shot and killed in her home on Winner Circle near Rehoboth around 12:50 p.m. on Jan. 26, 2007.
Police said the two suspects ransacked the house after bounding two other people staying inside, described only as a family member and friend of Grossi. The suspects then fled. The two people freed themselves after about ten minutes and found Grossi had been shot.
On Wednesday, troopers disclosed the suspects did not appear to force their way into the home but noted that does not mean the victims knew the suspects. Police also said property was stolen during the crime but would not offer details.
Given the time of the crime, investigators believe someone had to have seen something.
“She was just a wonderful, wonderful person,” said Fran Grossi, the victim’s father. “Big heart. Help anybody if they needed it.”
Grossi is now offering a $25,000 reward for the arrest of his daughter’s killer. A previous reward of $100,000, offered shortly after the crime, did not yield clues. Grossi has put a 30 day time limit on the offer in hopes of speeding up the investigation.
Paula Grossi was the mother of two grown children. She was also a grandmother who moved to the beach area from Wilmington at the suggestion of her father. Grossi got around with a cane because of complications from lupus and a neurological problem, according to her father.
“She couldn’t fight back,” said Fran Grossi. “It was just a terrible, terrible thing.”
A private investigator hired by the victim’s father has worked the case for at least four years. Grossi said the investigator has helped police, but troopers declined to offer specifics.
The unsolved murder is one of 72 so-called “cold cases” in Delaware, some dating back decades. The lapse in time creates extra challenges for police.
“With a case being this old, people forget things, people move away and it makes it that much harder,” said Cpl. Jeffrey Hale, state police spokesman.
But if extra time has helped, the assistance comes in terms of technology. Davis said police are reexamining the evidence using more sophisticated means than what they had before.
The suspect pictured in the newly released sketch is described as a man between 20 and 25, 5’7, about 160 pounds, last seen wearing a hooded jacket, white gloves and a wool skull hat.
The second suspect is described as a white man in his 40s, 5’6, approximately 200 pounds with a mark or possible tattoo under his left eye. He was last seen wearing a pair of black overalls, brown construction boots, a black knit cap and dark gloves.
Anyone with information is asked to call Delaware State Police detectives at (302) 741-2732 or report a tip anonymously to Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333.
