Erin Taylor

MARQUETTE – Twenty-five years ago as of Friday, Erin Taylor was murdered, a crime that remains unsolved to this day as her best friend continues to push for justice and closure.

Bonnie Dowd has been advocating for new information and the continuation of the Taylor case for 25 years, longer than Taylor was alive.

“I created an email for Erin (Taylor) for tips,” said Bonnie Dowd, Taylor’s best friend. “So I drop those off whenever I can get up here.”

Tips are still being collected and investigated and can be emailed to JusticeForErinTaylor.com. No new information regarding the case has been released, but a new detective is working the case. But due to how long the case has been cold, it has provided challenges.

“The detective said she was in middle school when all this went down,” Dowd said. “Nothing new really, I gave her my tips and I’m keeping in touch and just waiting to see what’s going on.”

Taylor originally went missing in August 2000, at just 24 years old. She was found in a wooded area, off Marquette County Road 492 in a decomposed state; it took dental records to identify her.

“She wrote a note to me two days before she died,” said Dowd. “It says, ‘I’ll always be here in your heart, you know that.'”

Suspects were identified but were eliminated as the investigation went on. As of 2015, a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator(s) was offered.

“She was like another sister to me,” said Dowd. “… I just want closure.”

Marquette police could not be reached for comment.

Antonio Anderson can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. His email address is aanderson@miningjournal.net.