Baseball Hall of Famer "Iron Man" Cal Ripken Jr. announced on Thursday that he and his family are offering a $100,000 reward to anyone that can help lead police to the man who kidnapped Ripken's mother last year.
According to CBS News, the former Baltimore Oriole made the announcement Thursday at the Sports Legends Museum next to Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
The decision to increase the reward money came just after the one-year anniversary of the armed kidnapping of Vi Ripken. Mrs. Ripken was abducted at gunpoint from her residence and driven around for 23+ hours before being returned unharmed. The investigation is still active, according to a press release from the Aberdeen Police Department in Aberdeen, Md.
"After talking as a family with members of law enforcement and friends, we decided we would try to reignite interest in the case by putting up a $100,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the man who abducted my mom a little over a year ago," Ripken said during Thursday's press conference.
According to the Aberdeen Police Department, the kidnapping occurred on July 24, 2012. That morning a male subject approached Mrs. Ripken at her home, threatened her with a handgun, forced her into her vehicle and fled the scene. Aberdeen Police received a call from the Baltimore County Police later that night regarding a suspicious vehicle. Information obtained from that call lead police to investigate Mrs. Ripken's whereabouts.
Police located the woman early the next morning, unharmed and in her vehicle, in close proximity to her home.
Authorities released a sketch as well as a surveillance video of the suspect, a white male believed to be in his 30's or 40's. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective John Divel of the Aberdeen Police Department at (410) 272-2121 ext. 132.
"I think in some ways maybe this should've happened earlier," Ripken told reporters of the $100,000 reward. "I think in the beginning we were all hopeful that an arrest would happen pretty quickly and we were all encouraged. But, you know, it is what it is."