Dallas police held a news conference Monday afternoon to update the media on the case of a 79-year-old woman murdered in her East Dallas home, calling the crime "a violent act' and "a brutal murder."
On Saturday, March 9, Avanell Cowgill's daughter asked police to check on her. Officers went to the home in the 11300 block of Earlywood Drive in East Dallas and found the back door open and Cowgill dead inside the home.
Police will not comment on the cause or manner of death and said the motive was still unclear. Dallas police said they are working with Cowgill's family to determine if anything may have been taken from her home.
Cowgill left church at approximately 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Police said she went to a store, went home and may have been killed that night. Investigators were able to determine that when her body was found on Saturday she had been dead for a couple of days.
Police are asking for the public’s help in this case as they have no witnesses. Anyone with information -- no matter how insignificant they think it is -- is asked to call the lead detective on the case, Detective Scott Sayers at 214-671-3647.
There are two separate rewards concerning the crime. Dallas CrimeStoppers is offering a $5,000 reward and Oak Farms Dairy is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this murder case.
NBC 5's Mark Schnyder contributed to this article.
