It will be 10 years ago in May when Lisa Gross' two girls came home from school and found ahouse full of water and their mother's body in an upstairs bathtub.
The children were 11 and 7 years of age at the time, CrimeTracker 10's Angela An reported.
"Unfortunately, they had to mature pretty quickly but they just amaze me," said Lisa Gross'husband, Steve Gross. "I'm so proud of (them) and they're my little heroes and have alwaysbeen since then."
Investigators from the Delaware County Sheriff's Office said that Gross died from a puncturewound to the back of the head just beneath the skull. A murder weapon was never found.
For the first time since 2001, the Delaware County Sheriff's Office released -- only toCrimeTracker 10 -- photos taken by crime scene investigators from inside the Genoa Townshiphome. The photos showed grocery bags on the counter and Gross' purse on the floor.
"It's just not normal to come in and drop your groceries and take off and do other things," saidDelaware County Sheriff Walter Davis III. "We believe something happened and we're just notsure."
In a move that was unheard at the time, an entire neighborhood in the Orchard Lakes subdivisionsubmitted their DNA, more than 100 samples. Investigators at that time suspected the killermight have been someone Gross knew, but were unsure of how well.
"I was suspect of everyone," said Steve Gross, Lisa's husband.
Gross said that the past 10 years have been a roller coaster of emotions, wondering if hiswife's killer would ever be found and not knowing whom to trust.
Davis said that he has had senior investigators re-examining the cold case in the past year,including DNA.
In 2008, investigators thought they had a lead when they sent unidentified hair samples found atthe crime scene to an out-of-state DNA lab. The sheriff's office said the results came backin December without a match, An reported.
The Delaware County Sheriff's Office confirmed that DNA from a Columbus homicide was alsosubmitted for comparison. It was a cold case from 1970 that was recently solved throughDNA. The victim was Sharon Katz, who was found strangled in a bathtub.
Davis would not comment any further but confirmed that shredded paper from the Gross' homeoffice was found covering the victim and the bathroom floor.
"Everyone is a suspect until we go through and we can clearly take people off the list," Davissaid. "Right now, everybody's a suspect. Everybody is on the table."
"Give them some kind of info that will put another piece in the puzzle and get this thingresolved and we can find some justice," Steve Gross said.
After their mother's slaying, the couple's daughters, Melissa and Alexa, started Hope forSurviving Children of Violent Crime. The foundation helps children cope with tragedies.
Melissa Gross, now 21, said that the goal is to provide safe shelter and financial stabilitybecause they have learned crime impacts not just families, but a community. Their mother'sdeath showed them that.
A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered in the case that leads to an arrest or indictment.
Anyone with information is asked to call a special tip line that 10TV has set up with CrimeStoppers.
Phone lines are open until 11:30 p.m. Thursday at 614-821-1010. Crime Stoppers takes tipsanytime at 614-461-8477. Text tips can be sent to "274637" with key word "CMH." Thesource of the tip will remain anonymous.
Stay with 10TV News and 10TV.com for additional information.
