BOCA RATON, Fla. — Tuesday marks 16 years since a mother and daughter, Nancy and Joey Bochicchio, were found murdered in a mall parking lot in Boca Raton, and the case is still unsolved.
Gerry Litrento, a resident of South Florida for 25 years, instantly remembers the 2007 tragedy when he hears the names of the victims.
"It was incredibly sad," Litrento said. "It was shocking that it was happening here in Boca."
Boca Raton police said in 2007 that Nancy Bochicchio and her 7-year-old daughter, Joey, were found by security guards in their idling vehicle in the parking lot of the Town Center at Boca Raton.
Investigators believe they'd been abducted and driven to an ATM to withdraw $500. They were found by security guards bound in multiple ways and shot to death.
"We live a short distance from here, and it was very unsettling," Litrento said.
At the time of the discovery, authorities quickly released photos of the vehicle. Reward money was raised. A task force was created with Boca Raton police and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office to look at similar incidents with ties to the same mall. A sketch of the killer was widely circulated, but there still has been no arrest in the case.
WPTV has spoken with Nancy's sister, JoAnn Bruno, through the years.
"I just beg of you, please, if you know anything, come forward," Bruno said years ago. "I hope every day he worries that the next day he's going to get caught."
Boca Raton police released the following statement to WPTV shortly before the 16-year mark since the murders:
"As technology changes and evolves regarding DNA testing, this case is continuously being reevaluated. We remain optimistic that technological advances will lead our investigators to a breakthrough in the investigation."
The Boca Raton Police Department has a portion of its website in an unsolved cases section dedicated to the Bochicchio case. You can learn more by clicking here.