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‘They’re in way over their heads:’ Husband, sisters of Rebekah Bletsch frustrated with police investigation

Posted at 11:03 PM, Jan 19, 2015
and last updated 2015-01-19 23:03:47-05

DALTON TOWNSHIP, Mich -- The end of January will mark seven months since Rebekah 'Becky' Bletsch was shot and left for dead on the side of rural Automobile Road in Muskegon County on June 29, 2014.

The 36-year-old mother was jogging less than a mile from her home when she was shot in the head. Police said none of the valuables on her were stolen.

They have yet to find her killer.

“The feeling of nothing is being done, it’s just left hanging there with no answers, no leads, nothing," said Becky's sister, Jessica Josephson.

“I won’t give up for my sister. I will fight for her and be her voice.”

Both Josephson and her sister Nicole Winberg say they've felt lost in the months since Becky's murder. And their sadness and disbelief is now accompanied by a growing sense of anger.

Winberg alleges police haven't been as forthright with the family in communicating the progress of the investigation as she expected they would be.

“We’re not told anything, and I understand it’s an open investigation, and they can only share certain things," Winberg said. "But just to even set the family aside and say, 'This is what we’re doing.' How big is their fight? That’s what I want to know."

Becky's husband, Kevin Bletsch, echoed those frustrations with police, adding that he felt investigators had been sloppy with evidence at the scene early on.

“I think they’re in way over their heads," he said off camera. "There have been bobbles along the way right from the beginning.”

Kevin Bletsch, who acknowledged he'd been considered a potential suspect by some shortly after the murder, said he expected scrutiny from investigators given the circumstances of the case.

He was cleared by police early in the investigation. “They told me that from the beginning that they were going to comb me out, but you let that happen" he said. "It was rough. It still is rough.”

Kevin and Becky married in 2009 but had been together for about 18 years. Kevin is now the sole parent to the couple's 12-year-old daughter Elli. Holding back tears, Kevin described his wife as devoted, both in marriage and in motherhood.

“If this was me, by now she probably would’ve joined the police force herself to try to find the person," he said with a smile.

Through it all, Becky's sisters have stood by Kevin in support, calling the accusations against him hurtful for the entire family.

“It’s heart wrenching, it’s an insult," Josephson said. "No way it was her husband. I understand where people are coming from: people are killing their family members, husbands killing wives, wives killing husbands. But that’s not the case here.”

Meanwhile, Becky's sisters say they have no choice but to hold out hope someone will come forward with information in the case. Winberg said she lives in fear, feeling suspicious of everyone, knowing her sister's killer is still at large.

“It’s an awful situation to sit in a restaurant and to look at every single person and wonder who they really are, what they’ve done," she said. "I do it at the grocery store too. It’s hard not to do it."

Becky's death is being investigated by a police task force lead by the Muskegon County Sheriff's Office. The Muskegon County Sheriff did not return FOX 17's request for comment Monday evening.

The family says there is still a $10,000 reward being offered for information that could lead to an arrest in the case. Anyone with information should call the Muskegon County Sheriff's Office at 231-724-6275 or Silent Observer at 231-72-CRIME.