$50K reward offered for info on 1997 murder of 12-year-old Petaluma girl
$50K reward for 1997 murder of Georgia Moses
Gov. Gavin Newsom is offering a reward of $50,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction for the murder of Georgia Moses, a 12-year-old girl found dead in Petaluma in 1997.
PETALUMA, Calif. - Gov. Gavin Newsom is offering a reward of $50,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction for the murder of Georgia Moses, a 12-year-old girl found dead in Petaluma in 1997.
Georgia's body was found badly decomposed on Aug. 22, 1997, near the Highway 101 southbound on-ramp at Petaluma Boulevard South, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.
The body's identity wasn't confirmed until three days later when an anonymous tip linked her to a missing persons report.
An autopsy later revealed she died of asphyxia by strangulation or smothering between Aug. 13 and 14, 1997.
The backstory:
Sheriff officials said Georgia was last seen on Aug. 13 around 10 p.m. near Sebastopol Road and Dutton Avenue with a Black man between 25 and 30 years old.
The man was around 6 foot 2 to four inches tall and was driving a small white four-door car.
No other details were available about the suspect.
Officials said despite their appeals to the public, a reward, and new forensic technologies, Georgia's killer remains unidentified.
What you can do:
Anyone with information about Georgia's death or the suspect is asked to contact the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office at (707) 565-2727 or email sheriff-coldcase@sonomacounty.org. Anonymous reporting is available.
The Source: Office of the Governor, Sonoma County Sheriff's Office