Cottondale Cold Case: Ivey Doubles Reward for Info in 1996 Murder

Governor Kay Ivey has issued a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever killed Carrie Loraine Bowles, a Cottondale woman whose 1996 murder remains unsolved nearly three decades later.

Bowles, 35, was shot and killed on November 13, 1996, at her home in the Old Mill Trace neighborhood in Cottondale. No arrest has ever been made in the case.

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VCU Commander Captain Jack Kennedy said investigators recently discovered that a $5,000 governor's reward issued in 1998 had expired. Investigators with the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit and the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney's Office worked with the governor's office to have the reward reissued, and the amount doubled.

The proclamation, signed by Governor Ivey on August 4, offers $10,000 to any private citizen, excluding law enforcement personnel and their relatives, who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the Violent Crimes Unit at (205) 464-8690.

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