Macon Telegraph Article

Today the Macon Telegraph ran a follow-up on my mom's story. I had the usual run of emotions when I read it: hopelessness, regret, disgust, sadness, disbelief. . . . and the list goes on. My comments for this article are very near the same as they have been on this blog.

I was a bit surprised by some of what I read in that article, but I will question the detective in an attempt to get my new questions answered.

This week we should hear from the Crime Lab. I am praying there is other DNA besides my mother's present. If not, I'm not sure what the next step will be.

This is the article as it appeared in the Macon Telegraph today:
Woman's killing remains mystery
By Tim Sturrock
TELEGRAPH STAFF WRITER
Jan Johnson doubts she'll ever know why her niece was beaten to death in April, but she wants whoever did it brought to justice.
"Certainly if the crime is resolved, there isn't going to be a reason why. We're still devastated," Johnson said of the killing of her niece, Brenda Carol Mathis.
But for Johnson, the wait for the arrest of Mathis' killer or killers is frustrating, as is calling police every week with no progress reported.
Mathis, 48, was found beaten to death in her Pursley Street apartment April 2, after she hadn't been seen in days. Her car was found about two miles away. Police say they aren't sure what was taken from her or how many people may be involved.
Police and family members said Mathis was known to help people down on their luck, including drug addicts. Police said they think someone she knew and tried to help may have robbed and killed her.
Johnson, who believes this theory, said, "She was everybody's friend, that's for sure. She was just friends with the wrong person, unfortunately."
A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer. A reward of up to $1,000 from CrimeStoppers also is available.
Macon police detective Jim MacDonald said a lack of information has stalled the case. He said he thinks someone knows something that could help the investigation, but that person hasn't come forward.
"There are a few suspects that we're looking at, but it's a matter of gathering the evidence to tie those people to it," MacDonald said. "We're looking for someone to step up to the plate to help. Someone had to see something."
He said police are still waiting for test results from the GBI crime lab, which have been delayed. He said the results could yield evidence, such as the blood from a suspect.
"It could be absolutely nothing, too. It's just a matter of what they got," he said. Because police don't know if the tests will produce worthwhile evidence, they haven't requested that the GBI put the tests in the Mathis case ahead of other tests the GBI is doing, he said.
MacDonald said Mathis likely was killed March 28 or March 29. She didn't show up for work March 29, and she was reported missing April 1.
Police arrived at her home April 1, her birthday, after speaking to several people who hadn't heard from her that week.
MacDonald said because Mathis was known not to loan out her car, and her car wasn't near her home, officers thought she might be away. Police said they also thought that because April 1 was her birthday, she might be away celebrating. Later that day, police found her car with a flat tire and had it towed, according to a police report. MacDonald said because there was no sign of foul play at her car or home and because they hadn't talked to a family member, police didn't return to enter her home.
April 2, one of her friends and the apartment manager of her building discovered her body when they entered her apartment, police said.
MacDonald said because there was no sign of forced entry, the killer or killers likely knew her and that she may have let them inside. He said police don't know if anything was taken other than her car. Police haven't found her driver's license or her car keys, he said.
MacDonald said he thinks there was a struggle, and someone heard or saw something.
"Those apartments are very close together. They're right next to each other and the walls are paper thin," he said. "So somebody has to know something."
Mathis' only child, Christy Belflower, said the idea that someone Mathis helped might have hurt her is one of the most disturbing parts of the killing.
"She may have known the person. She may have even considered them a friend, and there is no bigger betrayal," she said.
Her mother's welcoming nature is an example she said she is still learning from.
"She was the most nonjudgmental person. She didn't care where you came from. She didn't care what your skin color was. She saw everyone as a person," Belflower said. "Often I would be leery of people but she believed something positive could come out of them. She was very encouraging."
Belflower said her mother sacrificed a lot in raising her alone, and it's hard not knowing what happened.