A $5,000 reward was announced Wednesday for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in the arson death of a Seal Beach man and his dog in April.
Friends and family of the victim, 67-year-old John Donnelly, contributed $2,000 and the Seal Beach Police Foundation kicked in $3,000.
Police are hoping the reward money will generate new leads in the investigation.
“We’re open to anything and everything,” Seal Beach Police Sgt. Michael Henderson said.
Last month, police asked for the public’s help in tracking down 37-year- old transient Eric Jesus Andrade, saying he was considered a “person of interest” in the case because Donnelly would let Andrade sleep on his property by his garage.
Police eventually found Andrade, who volunteered to answer questions from investigators, Henderson said. Andrade was not arrested and the investigation is ongoing, he said.
Investigators suspect the blaze that killed Donnelly and his dog April 30 was deliberately set because a police dog sniffed an accelerant at the scorched two-story duplex in the 200 block of 17th Street.
Police have been poring over several hours of surveillance video for clues.
—City News Service