Local
Daly City family hopes renewed $50,000 reward brings answers in 1987 killing
California has renewed a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the 1987 killing of 13-year-old Michele Matteucci. Her family hopes new tips and advances in DNA analysis can help investigators resolve the case.
Nearly four decades after 13-year-old Michele Matteucci was killed in Daly City, California is offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in the case.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced $300,000 in rewards across six unsolved cases. Michele’s case is one of them.
Michele left school by bus on Nov. 10, 1987, and was heading toward her home. Police say she was found on Morton Drive, near her bus stop and home, after being sexually assaulted, beaten and strangled. She had turned 13 just 12 days earlier.
The unresolved killing has weighed on her family, including her brother, Marc Matteucci. He said Michele had been robbed of the life she could have built, but that he and his family have tried to carry on.
Marc said he appreciates the state’s offer, which he hopes could prompt someone with information to come forward. He also said additional names and leads could help investigators pursue further testing.
Modern DNA techniques may give investigators new ways to evaluate evidence and tips. Bay Area legal expert Steven Clark said a tip about a person could potentially be examined alongside DNA evidence, including through relatives’ DNA. Rewards can encourage people to share information, though they do not always lead to higher case-clearance rates.
The National Institute of Justice estimates that about 20% of cold cases are eventually solved. Newsom said families affected by violence deserve answers.
Anyone with information about Michele’s disappearance or killing is urged to contact the Daly City Police Department.