Two days before Mother's Day in 2018, 62-year-old Ana del Valle was found dead inside the Brooklyn apartment she shared with her daughter. A few days later, her neighbor next door was discovered shot to death inside his apartment.
Detectives with the NYPD know the murders are connected, but in the five years since the killings they have not been able to crack the case.
The reward for information leading to an arrest in the unsolved Bushwick case has been increased to $70,000.
"Both victims -- Ana and Basil -- were completely innocent people. They had nothing to do with anything that goes on in the area," said Detective Steve Minucci.
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Family members discovered Del Valle dead on May 11 of that year. She was 62. Gray, who lived in the apartment next door, was found two days later by his family. He was 54.
Both had been shot and killed. Ballistic evidence indicated the same weapon was used.
Detectives at the time said no 911 calls had been received around the time the two were believed to have been killed or until they were discovered by their own relatives.
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Five years after their murders, detectives are still troubled by the unsolved case. They hope the reward increase entices someone to come forward with a tip to finally bring answers to their families.
"Imagine it was your mom, your sister, your brother, your father. Wouldn't you want somebody to come forward? Because I would," Lt. Michael Spezio said.
Anyone with information about the murders, or the suspected shooter or shooters, is asked to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
