The case of Julia Niswender is back on the radar screen.
A $10,000 reward is being offered to anyone with information that could lead to the arrest or the indictment of the person responsible for the 23-year old’s homicide.
The reward is sponsored by Duvall Group of Investigations. Jennifer Niswender, Julia’s twin sister, said the private investigator is a friend of the family.
A college scholarship fund for twins has also been established in Julia’s honor.
“Two weeks ago, we reached our goal of $ 10,000,” Jennifer said.
Julia and Jennifer Niswender were studensts at MCCC before transferring to Eastern Michigan University three years ago.
Jennifer said she will be part of the scholarship selection process, but it has not been decided yet how the money should be distributed.
“It depends on how many people apply,” she said.
Julia was found dead in her apartment on Dec. 11, 2012. She was missing for two days and her family did not know where she was until police came to check on her.
The case is still being treated as a homicide. Jennifer’s family released the cause of death to the media on Tuesday, April 9. Julia died of asphyxiation from drowning in her bathtub.
Jennifer said she and her family had knowledge of what happened, but the final autopsy results were delayed until the family came back from a family trip to Florida.
“We needed a break. We needed to relax. We knew once we came back, these details were going to be released,” she said.
“We knew those details. We were trying to be prepared as best as we could.”
Jennifer said that an ABC News crew came to her house to interview her and her family.
A story will air on the TV show Good Morning America, sometime soon.
“We want her face out there,” Jennifer said.
“She deserves justice to be served. That’s what we want.”
Jennifer said she is glad that Julia’s story is getting out, so people will know about the investigation.
Jennifer also said that the Detroit CBS station has expressed interest in the story.
Since the final autopsy results have been released to the media, Jennifer feels she is reliving the past.
“You constantly have emotions running through you,” she said. “It’s hard to deal with all this again.”
However, after much speculation, the final autopsy results bring certainty in the case.
“In a way, it’s kind of a weight off our shoulders,” she said.
Police have interviewed over 100 people in the case. They have also conducted polygraph tests and each person has passed.
“We have a lot more people we need to interview. We don’t have any suspects at this time. This is a complex case,” said Lt. Deric Gress of the Ypsilanti Police Department.
“We are in good contact with them. They tell us what they can. You just have to learn to be patient,” Jennifer said about the police department.
Even though the incident occurred four months ago, Jennifer says she will remain close to her twin’s heart.
“I can feel her in me. I can see a lot of her character going on in me,” she said.
