Special Reward of up to $40,000!

STORY BY DARA BITLER - KDVR/KWGN (10:41AM, DECEMBER 05, 2019) UPDATED

DENVER — The Denver Metro Crime Stoppers has increased the reward to up to $50,000 for information in the murder of a man 10 years ago.

Lieutenant Matt Clark with the Denver Police Department announced the reward increase on Thursday, calling it, “significant”.

Ivory Mefford was 28 years old when his life was cut short on May 30, 2009.

He was shot to death, apparently while walking to his girlfriend’s house near the intersection of 31st Avenue and Franklin Street in Denver.

If you have any information, no matter how insignificant you may think it is, detectives would like to hear from you. Call our partners at Metro Denver Crime Stoppers: 720-913-STOP (7867). You can remain anonymous and still be eligible for the reward of up to $50,000. You can also report tips online.

STORY BY DEBORAH TAKAHARA - KDVR/KWGN (6:24 PM, NOVEMBER 18, 2019)

DENVER -- The family of a murder victim has added $10,000 to a reward fund ten years after his death. Ivory Mefford was 28 years old when his life was cut short on May 30, 2009.

He was shot to death, apparently while walking to his girlfriend's house near the intersection of 31st Avenue and Franklin Street in Denver.

His mother, Patricia Rush, is hoping the case can finally be solved. “It’s a big hole in all of our hearts and it could help ease it, by helping to bring some justice for him. I am not asking for myself, I am asking for him. He needs justice so he can rest in peace. That’s all we want is for him to rest. I know, I feel it in my heart, that somebody knows who killed Ivory and we just want them to come forward."

Denver Police Detective Mark Crider has been on the case from day one. He says they have very little to go on.

“We have very little evidence in the case. We did countless interviews. We are still hitting the wall," Crider said. But he believes there are people out there with important information. “There`s no doubt in my mind there's several people who know what happened to Ivory. There's several people who have heard rumors or gossip. We'll take that at this point. We just need something to get this investigation going.”

The additional money from Mefford's family brings the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers reward fund up to $12,000.

Rush has also paid to put up billboards in the area of the murder, hoping to inspire someone to come forward.

Sara Johnston Feldman with Metro Denver Crime Stoppers said, “Any time there`s reward increase, it brings new light to the case and it shows people still care, people still want answers, and people will put up money in order to get that. Maybe someone saw Ivory or heard where he was. Just because someone didn’t witness the actual crime doesn’t mean they don’t have information that could be valuable to the case. Someone murdered a member of our community in cold blood. Somebody has to know about it. People talk over time, 10 years is a long time. A lot of things change in people’s lives.”

Detective Crider agreed. “From my experience, people may hold onto this, as they mature, as they have kids, experience death in their families, things like this start to bother them a little bit more.”

Rush hopes that there can be closure for her and her family. “People always ask what do you miss about him the most? I miss everything, there`s not one thing. They say time heals, but with it not being solved, nothing has healed. I think we could find some closure if we find out who did this. It won`t bring him back, but it will bring us a little bit of closure. I can`t say it enough, I want him to be able to rest in peace.”

If you have any information, no matter how insignificant you may think it is, detectives would like to hear from you. Call our partners at Metro Denver Crime Stoppers: 720-913-STOP. You can remain anonymous and still be eligible for the special reward of up to $12,000. You can also report tips online.

Special Rewards valid up to 6 months after posting.

To watch Deborah Takahara’s story on this case, please visit our partners at Fox31-Denver/KDVR

The above video was provided by the Denver Police Department.