RALEIGH -- Police Chief Harry Patrick Dolan says investigators have not determined whether State Board of Education member Kathy Taft was killed by a stranger or someone she knew.
Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, Dolan said police have not ruled out that Taft's death was a random act. He said police patrols in the area where Taft was found Saturday have been increased, but otherwise he provided little details about the investigation.
"We are working around the clock, and still have a great deal more to do," Dolan said.
Dolan said that if police had information about a suspect, or someone that people should be looking for, the department would have made it public by now.
"I would caution everybody to avoid speculation," he said.
Emergency workers rushed Taft, 62, to WakeMed on Saturday morning after she was found severely beaten at 2710 Cartier Drive, the home of tax and divorce attorney, John M. Geil.
Police so far have said little publicly about what they think happened to Taft, the mother of four grown children. Authorities further clamped down on the flow of information about the case on Wednesday when Wake County Judge Donald Stephens signed an order at the request of District Attorney Colon Willoughby to seal public information and documents such as 911 calls, incidents reports and search warrants related to the case.
Dolan said Taft's family has offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
