Reward Increased in Nielsen Slaying Case

Raleigh, N.C. — The reward for information leading to an arrest in the Jenna Nielsen slaying has increased to $15,000, her family said Friday.

Nielsen, 22, of Fuquay-Varina, was delivering USA Today newspapers on June 14 when she was attacked and stabbed to death. Her body was found behind a convenience store on Lake Wheeler Road in Raleigh. She was eight months pregnant at the time of her death.

The case has drawn national attention, with her husband appearing on network news shows. "America's Most Wanted" has featured the case at least twice, and USA Today has published several full-page advertisements seeking tips. A billboard asking for information was erected on South Wilmington Street last month and has recently been moved to Glenwood Avenue.

Nielsen's family has set up a Web site, justice4jenna.org, in an effort to keep the case alive and is now offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the case. The reward previously had been $10,000.

Police have not named a suspect in the case, but they have released a sketch of a man wanted for questioning. The person of interest, according to Raleigh police, is a man believed to be in his late teens or early 20s, standing about 5 feet, 3 inches tall and weighing about 120 pounds. He had black hair pulled into a ponytail and wore a dark-colored sleeveless shirt and baggy denim shorts. Police believe he might be Hispanic.

The police department has hung fliers at the gates to the 2007 State Fair that include the sketch and a plea for information in the case.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Raleigh Police Department's tip line at 919-227-6220 or the "America's Most Wanted" tip line at 1-800-CRIME-TV. Tips can also be reported to NC Wanted at 1-866-43-WANTED or submitted over the Web.