Banning Police Release Flier Touting $25,000 Reward in Triple Homicide Case

Banning police released a flier Thursday evening touting a $25,000 reward for information leading to arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for the triple homicide in September 2011 on North Phillips Avenue.

The Banning city council voted 5-0 Tuesday night to approve Banning police Chief Leonard Purvis' request for the reward.

Whoever killed Natasha Biggers, 33, Demetrius Hunt, 42, and Cynthia Smith, 57, and left a toddler in the same home on Phillips Avenue likely has local connections, according to police and relatives of the victims.

"On September 6, 2011, a triple homicide took place inside a residence located in the 100 block of N. Phillips . . . in the City of Banning," Purvis said in a report to the city council before they voted.

"Since that time, Banning Police Department Investigators have followed up on over one hundred leads on the case," Purvis said. "Unfortunately, none of the information has led to the arrest of the suspect(s) responsible for the homicides."

Police investigators "believe there are individuals in the community that may have information needed to break the case and believe a reward will provide enough incentive for this person, or individuals to come forward."

"We need help, and by posting a reward that will help," Marva Biggers, aunt of Natasha, said in January. She came to a with Natasha's mother, Deborah Biggers, to encourage the city to offer the reward.

A printable pdf copy of the reward flier is attached to this report.

Anyone with information was urged to contact Detective Robert Merritt at (951) 849-1194. The case number is 11-3336.