A reward for information leading to an arrest in the murder of a Windsor mother and her 4-year-old son is being increased to $40,000.
The Windsor Police Service and Windsor Police Services Board announced Monday the reward is being doubled to $40,000 from $20,000 in the murders of Debilleanne (Dee Dee) Williamson and Brandon (Xavier) Rucker - making it the largest reward for information in any of the cold cases being investigated by Windsor police.
On Feb. 27, 2003, Williamson and her son were found dead inside their house on Tilston Drive in the city's west end.
Williamson was found beaten to death in the home’s basement, while Xavier's body was discovered in the bathroom on the main floor.
Investigators say this was not a random act of violence and they believe the victims knew the killer.
Nike Williamson speaks during a news conference at Windsor Police Headquarters on Feb. 27, 2023. Williamson is the niece of Debilleanne (Dee Dee) Williamson, who was murdered along with her 4-year-old son Brandon (Xavier) Rucker on Feb. 27, 2003. (Photo by Rusty Thomson)
Nike Williamson, the niece of Dee Dee Williamson, spoke during Monday's news conference at Windsor Police Headquarters and says 20 years is a long time of not knowing what happened.
"I was very young when this happened but it's something that lives in my mind everyday. I had to grow up at a young age knowing monsters aren't just something under the bed, it's people who walk among us," she says.
Williamson says the death of her aunt is something that lives in her mind everyday and hopes somebody will do the right thing and come forward...
"It hurts to know my aunt probably fought until her last moment for my cousin and that his last moments were in fear," she adds.
Constable Steve Owen with the Major Crimes Unit, the lead investigator on the case, says Dee Dee was a very caring and outgoing person with friends on both sides of the border. As a result, numerous persons of interest have been identified in the Windsor area and Metro Detroit and over the years, several have been cleared but several remain persons of interest.
Owen says there is a lot of hope with this case because there is still a lot of active tasks when it comes to the investigation.
"10 years ago when the last push was made on this case, since then there's been a lot of leads that have been followed up on, a lot of tips have come in and a lot of interviews have been taken or retaken since then," he says. "I feel like the case itself is not really cold, it's still an active investigation, so we are really hopeful."
Constable Steve Owen with the Windsor Police Service Major Crimes Unit speaks during a news conference at Windsor Police Headquarters on Feb. 27, 2023. Owen is the lead investigator into Feb. 27, 2003 murders of Debilleanne (Dee Dee) Williamson and Brandon (Xavier) Rucker. (Photo by Rusty Thomson)
Owen says if you know something, come forward because 20 years is long enough to wait.
"We're not going away, we're going to continue knocking on doors, we're going to continue making phone calls, we're going to continue with the advancements in DNA technology, eventually we will find who is responsible for this. So if you are that person, maybe it's time to take responsibility for what you did and make a phone call," he adds.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Major Crimes Unit at 519-255-6700, ext. 4830. They can also contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 519-258-8477 (TIPS) or online at www.catchcrooks.com.
"There are people out there who know who is responsible for this double murder or who have information that can help us solve this crime," says Daniel Potvin, Superintendent in charge of Investigations. "We hope the additional reward money will provide the incentive these people need to come forward and tell what they know. Even a small piece of information that someone thinks is trivial be the missing evidence that allows our investigations to connect the dots and finally solve this mystery."