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PARKERSBURG -- An investigative team on a cold case in Wood County will hold a fundraiser next week to increase the amount of the reward for information.
The Safe Haven team will be at the North End Tavern from 1-4 p.m. Feb. 4 when investigators and members of the Judith Petty family will be available, said Melissa Sandberg, an investigator on the team.
"We're doing a meet and greet," she said.
Petty's body was found by her father in February 2008 in a burned-out barn on property her family owned in Waverly several days after the fire. She was 48 at the time and was last seen in the area of the Parkersburg-Wood County Public Library.
A raffle of gifts donated by businesses and individuals from the community will be held at the NET, Sandberg said. Besides the raffle, residents can also meet and speak with Sandberg, fellow investigator Jennifer Bucholtz, author George Jared and the Petty family, she said.
The team is encouraging residents and businesses to donate items for the raffle, Sandberg said. No items would be too big or too small, she said.
To donate, contact Sandberg at 224 465-8263, by email at melissamsandberg79@gmail.com or on the Safe Haven Facebook page. She would like to have the items by Feb. 1.
About $5,200 has been raised so far for a reward, Sandberg said. Monetary donations also can be made at the reception on Feb. 4 or by contacting Sandberg.
Earlier on Feb. 4, Bucholtz and Jared from 11 a.m. to noon will discuss their book "The Silent Silhouette … Who killed Deborah Sue?" The book is about Deborah Sue Williamson of Lubbock, Texas, who was killed in August 1975.
The case returned to the limelight after a man known for confessing to murders he didn't commit confessed to killing Williamson. He didn't kill her.
A podcast about the Petty case, "Safe Haven: The unsolved murder of Judith Petty," airs on Wednesdays on Apple or Spotify.
Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.