(WXYZ) — Twelve years ago, Eastern Michigan University student Julia Niswender was brutally murdered inside her off-campus apartment. To this day, her killer walks free.
RELATED REPORT: Family says police determined Julia Niswender was drowned in her bathtub
Julia's grieving family reached out to tell me they are upset with the perceived lack of concern and communication by the Ypsilanti Police Department.
"I understand a lot of things happened early on in the investigation. That is not the new chief's fault. But now you are the chief. So now you need to step up, and you need to do what you need to do," said Julia's mom, Kim Turnquist.
The family explained to me that Kim is currently battling Leukemia, and thoughts of her daughter's murderer walking free haunt her.
RELATED REPORT: Family of Julia Niswender call for justice on 10th anniversary of her death
So, in an effort to get this family some answers, I called Ypsilanti Police Chief Kirk Moore to get an update on this cold case.
The chief declined an interview but told me over the phone that currently, the Ypsilanti police department doesn't even have an investigative unit. The department is relying on the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office for help on their current felony cases, but the Sheriff's office is not taking on any old cases.
ORIGINAL REPORT FROM 2012: Family members talk about Julia Niswender
This means nobody is investigating Julia's murder.
"We worked on getting it turned over to the state police, and we thought we were going to - it was going to do that. But then the state police called my mom and said, pretty much said, we have too many cold cases to take on this one," Jennifer Niswender, Julia's sister, explained.
Now, the family says they don't know what their next steps are yet, but they are going to continue to fight to see justice for Julia.
