New details emerge in 1998 cold case murder investigation
HARDEMAN COUNTY, Tenn. — Michael Bell was murdered while at work in Hardeman County in 1998. To this day, no one has been arrested. Officers say new information has come to light that has them asking the public for help.
Michael Bell
Federal, state and local investigators came together Tuesday afternoon to announce a $24,000 reward for information that helps them solve this case.
Nearly 20 years ago, Bell, a clerk at the McKee’s Stateline convenience store, was gunned down while behind the counter.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have all the pieces to this puzzle,” lead FBI Special Agent Michael Gavin said. “The picture leading up to the events over 19 years ago are not perfectly clear.”
Investigators believe the man in a surveillance photo from that day is the one responsible for the deadly shooting.
“It’s not the best image in the world, but it’s the only image we have to go on at this time,” District Attorney General Mike Dunavant said.
Members of the Hardeman County Sheriff’s Department, TBI, FBI and District Attorney’s Office gathered to make a renewed plea for help.
“We’ve never forgotten about this case,” District Attorney General Mike Dunavant said. “This family of this murder victim, this incident that happened in 1998, is one that people in this community still remember.”
Dunavant said in the past they suspected robbery as the motive — until new evidence surfaced.
“It was not what we originally thought but rather was a coordinated effort to target him as a victim,” Dunavant said.
Law enforcement agencies did not reveal what those new details are, but Dunavant hopes the reward will be motivation for someone to come forward. “Something that’s attractive to people. It gets their interest. It certainly gets them talking about it, asking questions about it, and maybe we can identify this perpetrator,” he said.
The District Attorney General’s Office released this surveillance photo of the suspect believed to have murdered Bell.
Gavin said there can be no rest for the family or community until this murder is solved.
“To those who committed this cowardly act, I have this one message — your crime is not forgotten. Justice will be done,” Gavin said.
The FBI provides $20,000 of the reward money. The remaining $4,000 is through the Hardeman County Sheriff’s Department from the County Commission.
If you have information about the murder of Michael Bell or recognize the man from the surveillance image, call the TBI hotline at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
