Anonymous donor contributes $10,000 to cold case reward fund

Janet Bartlett Newman
Janet Bartlett Newman
photo Janet Bartlett Newman
photo Janet Bartlett Newman and her daughter, Tracy.

An anonymous donor is contributing $10,000 to the reward fund in the unsolved murder case of Janet Newman, according to a news release from the office of District Attorney General Neal Pinkston.

Newman, 25, was killed 11 days before Christmas in 1984 as she worked inside Cannon Towel and Linen on Brainerd Road. Newman's boss returned from running errands in the middle of the afternoon on Friday, December 14, to find Newman's body in a back storage room. Newman had been bound, gagged and stabbed repeatedly in the chest.

CrimeStoppers is also offering a $1,000 reward in the case, bringing the total amount to $11,000 to anyone who is able to provide information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for Newman's death, according to the release.

The District Attorney General's Cold Case Unit is reviewing the case and asking for the public's help.

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