02-04-2025
CT officials offering $50K reward in death of woman found bludgeoned outside beach house
Connecticut officials are offering a $50,000 reward in exchange for information on a cold case involving the death of a woman who was found bludgeoned outside a home in Madison 15 years ago.
The reward was announced Tuesday after being approved by Gov. Ned Lamont, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice. New Haven Judicial District State's Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr. had filed an application for the reward in exchange for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for killing 48-year-old Barbara Hamburg, a mother of two.
In a statement issued by the DCJ, Doyle and Madison Police Department Chief John Drumm said they believe the reward will renew public interest in the case and prompt anyone with information to come forward.
'The public is advised not to underestimate the significance of what they may know and not to assume that law enforcement must already possess that information,' DCJ officials wrote. 'Sometimes a small piece of information may be what investigators need to solve a case and achieve a successful prosecution.'
Hamburg was found dead on March 3, 2010, in the yard of her home on Middle Beach Road West. Police responded to the home on the report of an injured woman when Hamburg was found by family members, including one of her two children, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Hamburg was supposed to appear in family court the morning of her death in connection with thousands of dollars of alimony and child support payments she said she was owed by her ex-husband, Jeffrey Hamburg, but she never showed.
Jeffrey Hamburg was later charged with larceny in connection with allegations he withdrew funds from a custodial account tied to the family.
No one was ever charged in connection with Barbara's Hamburg's killing. An autopsy found that she died of blunt force trauma and stab wounds.
The Madison Police Department investigated the death with assistance from the Connecticut State Police Central District Major Crime Squad and the State of Connecticut Division of Scientific Services Forensic Science Laboratory.
'Madison Police have devoted countless hours and resources to the investigation and continue to vigorously pursue any leads,' DCJ officials wrote.
Barbara's Hamburg's killing became the subject of the HBO miniseries 'Murder on Middle Beach' after her son, Madison Hamburg, began investigating his mother's death as part of a college project. He directed the series.
The making of the documentary led to a battle over the records tied to the police investigation after the Madison Police Department appealed a ruling ordering them to turn over everything they had on the case. The decision was eventually appealed to the Connecticut Supreme Court which ruled that the department, in order to withhold the records, needed to show that an arrest or prosecution was 'at least reasonably possible.'
Anyone with information on Barbara Hamburg's death has been asked to contact Madison police at 203-245-6500.
