McMinnville cold case gets new life - WSMV Channel 4
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There could finally be a break in a criminal case that's lingered for three years.
The death of Sunday school teacher Rebecca Mooneyham shocked the town of McMinnville, and while countless leads have sparked hope none ever panned out.
The case went cold until a single phone call gave investigators their first solid lead in months. After months of dead ends, there could finally be progress.
A senseless crime inside a quiet home left a victim, seemingly, without a single enemy.
"There's times you get disappointed in a case like this," said Warren County Sheriff Jackie Matheny. "So, yes. It's a little personal with me - something that I've prayed about and something a lot of my staff members have prayed about."
On Aug. 28, 2009, someone shot and killed Mooneyham as she sat in her living room.
"This has just been a very unusual case - one like I've never seen before," Matheny said.
For months, investigators tracked leads in search of the killer, but last year the case grew cold and investigators grew weary.
"There just wasn't much. We had exhausted every lead we had," Matheny said.
Signs keep the woman and the story of her murder front and center throughout McMinnville. Recently, at the Warren County Fair, someone apparently spotted the sign and its mention of a reward.
That sparked a new, significant tip.
"It was a phone call, and they had told us some information," Matheny said. "Long story short, it's still a long ways from being solved. We do have a lot of information."
For now, the sheriff will only say the tip points to a possible suspect.
"It's not the smoking gun, but it's good to have some information coming in, because it's been a while," Matheny said.
Investigators haven't been this close to an answer in months, and that - for many - remains reason to believe.
It also remains a reason to plead for the public's help.
"Again, I don't know how anybody could live with that. I hope they can't sleep the rest of their days until they do what's right," Matheny said.
There is a $2,500 tip for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Mooneyham's killer.
The sheriff's department recently received a grant from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to launch its own crime stoppers program. Matheny said this case will be the center focus of the program.
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