‘Person of interest’ named in ‘84 murder

An elderly woman beaten to death her in home. Her apartment ransacked and several silver coins missing, but few clues left behind to identify her killer.

The 1984 murder of 87-year-old Ruby M. Miller stumped Spokane police detectives and frightened neighbors near her East Riverside home, where she known as “The Cat Lady” - a woman who had little but felt safe.

Now, more than 25 years later, detectives have identified a 74-year-old woman they consider a “person of interest” in Miller’s murder.

Spokane retiree Neomi Jensen has been questioned but not charged, said police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer DeRuwe.

“We want to make sure the case is rock solid, but at this point our biggest lead in the case in Jensen,” DeRuwe said. But, she said, “we don’t feel she’s a threat to the community.”

Read the rest of my story here, with links to past coverage.