Another year has gone by in the Jeff Rogers’ homicide case, without an end to one family’s pain.
Rogers was killed nine years ago Sunday, and his family members are still awaiting the closure that might take place when the case is solved. Rogers died in a violent home invasion burglary on April 9, 2008. He was 25 years old.
Jeff Rogers was an outdoorsman and avid angler who enjoyed going to Wyandotte County Lake. He was at home near 84th and Tauromee Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas, when the door was kicked in and the home was burglarized. He fought back, and later died of his injuries.
John Frishman, Rogers’ uncle, said the family received a little hope today that the case might be closer to being solved, when a tip came in.
Although there have been other tips in the past, the case is still not solved because police need more information. Frishman said Rogers’ case was different from most homicides as the victim had not been in trouble in the past.
Kansas City, Kansas, police and the Crime Stoppers Hotline today urged the community to come forward and bring information that will help solve the case and satisfy the family’s need for closure.
The need for tips in this case has been advertised on billboards in the area, on posters and through the media. There are cash rewards of $4,000 from the CrimeStopper TIPS hotline for information leading to an arrest, $5,000 from the state for information leading to an arrest and conviction, and $1,000 from the family.
Frishman said every year, Rogers’ mother is very affected by the anniversary date of her son’s death. Sometimes, a chance mention, a tip in the case or an event can bring back all the memories of that time nine years ago.
“Every now and then I’ll be out fishing and it reminds me of fishing with Jeff,” Frishman recalled. When there are developments in the case, all the memories come back again.
“You relive the same thing all over again,” Frishman said. ”It’s like another page in the book. You want to close the book, you want some kind of closure.”
Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to contact the Crime Stoppers Greater Kansas City TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). The identity of the tipster is kept confidential.