MANKATO, Minnesota — A year has passed since the home invasion that led to the death of Evelyn Adams. But it's far from a cold case.
"We meet on the case, at least once a week," said Blue Earth County Sheriff's Captain Paul Barta.
The Blue Earth Sheriff's Office and Adams' family are pushing for the one tip that could lead to an arrest.
"We're confident there are other people that have intimate knowledge of what happened, and they need to share that with us," Barta said.
The 76-year-old victim called 911 from her home just outside Mankato after 11 p.m. during a blizzard. Evelyn said someone broke into her house. She was bloody, scared, and needed help.
Minutes earlier, a neighbor reported someone running in and out of the home.
The blizzard hampered the investigation in several ways. First, instead of minutes, it took a half hour for officers to arrive.
And the storm wiped out potential evidence -- footprints and tracks from the potential getaway vehicle.
Plus, it made it harder for eyewitnesses to describe what they saw.
The neighbor thought the burglar got into a dark gray car with an "armful of stuff." But Barta says now they aren't sure anything was stolen.
"We're not 100 percent sure anything was taken at this point. It’s possible, but we’re unable to confirm that," Barta said.
Five days after the attack, Evelyn died. Leaving behind a big family, including children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and her husband -- who was in a nursing home when she was attacked.
"I think just to find out what happened would be very important to us. My dad is 93 years old and I don't know how much longer he'll be with us. It would be very important to us for Dad to see this brought to conclusion," said Jim Adams, Evelyn's step-son.
"This isn't a drug deal that's gone bad. This isn't a mutual fight that got out of hand. Evelyn truly is an innocent victim," Barta said.
Barta is hoping someone with a conscience will now come forward.