(WWJ) The Oakland County Sheriff's Office is asking for help solving a 17-year-old double murder case.
According to investigators, back in April of 2008, the decomposing bodies of 51-year-old Terry Lee Holbin and 55-year-old Ronnie Ralph Tripp were found near northbound I-75, just south of the M-15 exit in Independence Township.
Sheriff's officials said the two men's remains were discovered under some trees by a state surveying crew, doing some work in the area. Both victims had been shot in the head with a small caliber firearm.
The bodies were so badly deteriorated that investigators required DNA analysis to positively identify the victims.
Hollins and Tripp were retired and living together in Flint and were estranged from their families. They were last seen in October of 2006, and it is believed they were murdered several months before they were shot.
Since the time the bodies were found, there have been no arrests, and there are few clues in this mysterious cold case.
Speaking to WWJ Newsradio 950's Luke Sloan on Friday, Sheriff Mike Bouchard said his any and all tips will help, as deputies search for clues in this case.
"If they saw anything or knew anything in that time frame, but it didn't occur to them until now. Or, sometimes what we see after a long passage of time, people feel less intimidated or fearful about reporting information," Bouchard said.
No tip, the sheriff said, is too small.
"One little piece of information could then pull together other pieces to begin sending us in the direction of potential suspects," he said. "Think about when you're...putting together a puzzle. And, you know, one piece can be the linchpin that finally gives you a picture of what you're trying to put together."
Bouchard said his investigators never give up on finding the perpetrators in "heinous cases" like this, to not only hold them accountable, but to bring closure to the victims' families.
At this time, the sheriff's office said no one has been ruled out as a possible suspect.
Anyone with any information about the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP (1-800-773-2587). Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest, and tipsters will remain anonymous.