MOORHEAD – Moorhead police are asking for new information on Friday, Sept. 20, the 10th anniversary of the death of Tom “Tommy” Bearson.
With the assistance of the Minnesota BCA and the FBI, Moorhead police said Friday that investigators are continuing to pursue all possible leads in the unsolved murder. New technology has made investigative capabilities available and they are ready to review evidence and resubmit it to the FBI for analysis.
“It brings everything back. I just can’t imagine it could ever be any different in September,” said Debbie Bearson, Tom Bearson’s mother, on the tenth anniversary.
“Tom was just a charming, funny young man,” Greg Bearson, Tom’s father, told WDAY TV. Ten years after the 18-year-old’s death, the grief is incalculable.
“It’s just as hard today as it was 10 years ago. We as a family are grieving for Tom. We think about him every day. We can’t help but think about all the wonderful times we had with Tom and what our lives could have been if he were here. And what our family would have been. That opportunity was taken away from us,” Greg said.
Tom Bearson, a freshman at North Dakota State University, died on September 20, 2014. His body was last seen near the NDSU campus, where it was found near an RV park in Moorhead. At the time, authorities said Bearson had died of asphyxiation, but did not release any details about that discovery.
No one has been arrested yet, but the technology now offers a window for the FBI to take another look at the evidence it has collected.
Moorhead Police / Contribution
“Investigative technology has changed, so we will review all the evidence we have collected and resubmit it for reanalysis using technology. Then we will look at the evidence again to see what we can find out,” said Captain Deric Swenson, Moorhead police spokesman.
“There’s an old saying: ‘Patience is not about waiting. Patience is about how you act while you wait,'” Greg Bearson said of the unsolved crime.
Investigators would like anyone who is hesitant to share information or views to come forward.
“We want them to tell us because it may be information we don’t have,” Swenson said.
Tommy’s family says they will never give up and supports all investigators who have worked over the past ten years to clarify the circumstances of his death.
“We’re going to get answers here. The universe has a way of revealing the truth. That’s what we believe. We believe God has a plan and perfect timing,” Greg said. “One day it’s going to happen. When it happens, it’s going to be a day of reckoning for the people currently living their lives. Perfect lives are going to be torn apart. They don’t know when it’s going to happen. But I would assume they spend their lives constantly looking around, wondering when the call is going to come or the knock on the door or when that piece of evidence is going to turn up that will give it some finality.”
“At the end of the day, I know I’ll see Tom. One day. One way or another, I’ll see him again,” said Tom’s mother, Debbie.
Police say potential witnesses or people with knowledge of the case may be reluctant to speak because of relationships they have with those involved or because they are concerned about their own safety or relationships. Relationships and loyalties change, police say.
The Bearson family says they have found a lot of support and comfort in their hometown of Sartell. The Tom Bearson Foundation has raised $500,000 and helped build new basketball courts and renovate local gyms.
To reach investigators with an anonymous tip, email [email protected] or text TIPMOORHEAD to 847411.
