This summer, the Phoenix Police Department has launched a new initiative to bring attention to cold case homicides. "Hot Desert, Cold Cases" will be a series of videos and other posts on the department's social media profiles, highlighting cold cases. In addition, Silent Witness is upping the reward for information leading to the arrest and/or indictment of the suspect/s of the crime. The reward will be $5,000 for the first four cold cases.
The series continues with the murders of William and Barbara Singer.
On the afternoon of July 2, 2014, Phoenix Police officers were called to conduct a welfare check in the area of 34th Avenue and St. John Road in North Phoenix.
"This is a case that haunts me," Lieutenant Lois Weiss said. "It still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up."
81 year-old William Singer and his wife, 64 year-old Barbara Singer, had not been seen or heard from in several days.
Lt. Weiss said when officers got inside the home, what they found is nothing short of horrific.
"This man was slaughtered and left like a piece of trash in his chair," the lieutenant said. "He was obviously passed. They followed a blood trail, very close by, behind Mr. Singer down the hall, off to the right. Mrs. Singer was on the floor, face up."
The couple was brutally killed, inside their own home. Investigators traced clues back to four nights prior, June 28, 2014. The Singers were seen on a Wells Fargo ATM surveillance camera, withdrawing large sums of cash around 10:30 p.m — out of character for the couple. Detectives believe the Singers were brought back to their home and killed not long after.
"What's so frustrating is we just don't understand why them," Lt. Weiss said. "Why target them?"
Phoenix Police worked every angle of this case from financial to familial. But ultimately, the case went cold and now six years later, still no one has been held responsible for the murder. To those that knew the couple, this murder makes no sense.
"Loving, honest, kind, friends, good friends," Joanne and Scott McLellan said as they described the couple.
The McLellan's lived in the house next door to Bill and Barbara. They say they went back and forth with each other often, talking over the fence, and watching each other's homes while on vacation. The Singers even attended the McLellan children's weddings.
"I've thought about it a lot," Scott McLellan said. "For the longest time, we both had trouble sleeping afterwards because we couldn't stop thinking about it."
The McLellan's describe the Singers as the nicest people — still so in love. They had both had careers in the medical field. Bill was a medavac and Barbara was a nurse. Bill also had children and grandchildren from a previous marriage, whom Barbara took in as her own.
"I know it's solvable," Lt. Weiss said. "I feel with every part of my being it's solvable. You know these people were good people and you know that they didn't deserve this. No one deserves this."
If you have any information regarding this case, contact Silent Witness at 480-Witness, or leave an anonymous tip on the
Silent Witness website. You will remain anonymous and could earn a cash reward.