After more than two decades, police continue to try to seek leads in the case of Thea Slater, a San Francisco woman who was tragically killed while working in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood.

SFPD cold case investigators are offering a newly upped $100,000 reward for any information on the homicide of the 39-year-old single mother of three that occurred in 2002.

Slater's family told KTVU that they have new hope that a new reward and renewed attention on the case will lead to the person responsible. The victim's aunt, Icyphene Peterson, described the struggle of coming to terms with Slater's death to the news station, saying, "It was disbelief. I didn't want to believe it. And for a long time, I didn't believe that this has happened to my niece. Very, very difficult."

According to police, Slater was working in an unoccupied townhouse at 68 Navy Road in the Bayview District on October 19, 2002 when she was attacked by an unknown person(s) with a weapon. She had been removing carpet from the townhouse, which was in the federally subsidized All Hallows Gardens housing development at 68 Navy Road, said Inspector Mike Johnson of the homicide detail at the time, per the Chronicle's reporting. The units in the development were apparently plagued by toxic mold and other problems.

Police believe that Slater was targeted, and that her killer entered the unit through an unlocked door while she was working on the carpets on the third floor. The struggle began on the top floor and ended in the bathroom on the first floor, where Slater was found dead with multiple stab wounds.

Slater had struggled with drug addiction in the past, her relatives said according to KTVU, but had been sober at the time of the homicide. Both family members and police are uncertain whether this played a role in her killing.

Investigators are also currently retesting DNA found at the scene in hopes of shedding new light on the case, according to KTVU.

But one thing is certain: Slater's family is still fighting for the truth, and they believe it will come. As her daughter Tiyesha Slater said to KTVU, "She did not deserve this. Justice will be served. I love you mommy. I miss you."

Authorities are asking anyone with information regarding this homicide to contact Homicide Cold Case Investigator Daniel Cunningham at 415 553-9515, Investigator Daniel Dedet at 415 553-1450, Sgt. Alan Levy at 415 553-9245 or through Department Operations Center (DOC) at 415 553-1071.

Image via SFPD.