News article from KETV from yesterday:
Two years after Shirlee Sherman, 57, and Thomas Hunter, 11, were found dead in a Dundee home, one of the lead investigators is speaking for the first time about the case.
"You want to say to be patient, but how could I ask a family to be patient that went through something like this," said Omaha homicide detective Sgt. Ken Kanger.
He said he's been impatient himself, trying to crack one of the city's toughest homicide cases.
Dr. William Hunter came home from work at Creighton University Medical Center on March 13, 2008, and found his son, Thomas, and Sherman, his 57-year-old housekeeper, dead.
Kanger said in the two years that followed, there have been hundreds of leads, but no arrests.
"The information is out there. There are still leads that we're continuing to follow up on," he said.
He said detectives are also looking into something they've not publicly discussed before. He said the killings could be tied to activity on the Internet.
"We've looked into the computer background regarding the computers at the Hunters' house and Thomas's access to computers and chat rooms," Kanger said. "That leads us to a whole other arena."
He said it's possible Thomas Hunter may have chatted with his killer, or someone connected to his killer, online.
"That's one of the things that we're concentrating some of our efforts now, just to find out if Thomas was in different chat rooms communicating with people, who it was he was communicating with and what those communications were like," Kanger said.
He said chat rooms are only one aspect of the investigation. He said detectives are also looking for a silver crossover-type SUV, possibly a Honda CRV, which was seen in the area that day. The vehicle may have had out-of-state plates, witnesses said.
Police had issued a composite sketch of a man they considered suspicious. The description of the man said he was between 20 and 30 years old, had olive skin, wore a dark suit and carried a satchel over his shoulder. Kanger said the sketch is not something they're keying on now.
"I wouldn't say that we're backing off," he said. "The best way I can describe that is that it's a risk/reward."
He said the reward of putting out the general drawing right away help people starting thinking about that person immediately. The risk, he said, is that over time, people focus solely on the sketch.
Kanger said the detectives are looking into the backgrounds of the victims and their families. Both of Thomas Hunter's parents are doctors at Creighton University Medical Center. Sherman has a number of loved ones in the Omaha area.
He said sometimes examining those background can help provide clues why someone would do it.
"We found a lot. I don't want to say we haven't found anything, but again, you're talking two victims, you're talking a lot of different avenues where we have to look to try to find the answer to what happened," Kanger said.
He said the police will find answers, and he wants the victims' families and neighbors to know that the case isn't cold.
"We're going to devote as much time and effort and resources as we can to try and find out exactly what happened here and hold somebody accountable," he said.
Crime Stoppers has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.
