Police say they've received new leads in the October 2002 murder of Kelseyville resident Barbara LaForge. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT – A five-year-old murder case is gathering renewed momentum thanks to new leads and a multi-agency task force devoted to solving the murder. {sidebar id=25}

Barbara LaForge, 43, of Kelseyville was found fatally shot in her Main Street frame shop on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2002.

LaForge had been shot four times in the chest with a .22 caliber weapon, according to police.

Since her death Lakeport Police – with the assistance of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Lake County District Attorney’s Office, the California Department of Justice and investigators from other agencies and organizations – has continued to investigate this case, said Lt. Brad Rasmussen of Lakeport Police.

However, so far, police have not been able to make an arrest for the murder.

But the case recently has benefited from new information, according to a Wednesday report from Rasmussen.

On Oct. 4, the Lakeport Police Department made a request for public assistance in the case, which is posted on the department's Web site at www.cityoflakeport.com/departments/page.aspx?deptID=76&id=110.

Media coverage of the LaForge case, marking the murder's fifth anniversary, also resulted in a response from the community, said Rasmussen.

Also early in October, the Lakeport Police Department and the Lake County District Attorney’s Office Criminal Investigation Division officially created a multi-agency task force to aggressively investigate the LaForge case, Rasmussen reported.

There are currently nine investigators and one secretary assigned to the task force, Rasmussen said Wednesday. He said all of the assigned personnel are very dedicated and committed to this investigation.

“We're communicating very often and then meeting regularly,” said Rasmussen.

Rasmussen said that, in a very short time, the focused efforts of this task force have already produced results, with investigators following up on several new leads which will include forensic examination of additional pieces of evidence.

Investigators believe that current forensic technology will have a valuable role in these examinations, said Rasmussen.

The task force's members, said Rasmussen, are committed to using every available resource to investigate this case.

The department, he added, is confident that the task force will bring this case to a successful conclusion.

Still to come, police are waiting for a report from Inside the Tape, a Virginia Beach, Va.-based organization that trains law enforcement agencies on homicide investigations and conducts homicide case reviews for agencies around the U.S.

Lakeport Police sent the LaForge case to Inside the Tape this summer, as Lake County News reported in October.

“We're still working with that organization and awaiting their full, detailed report,” said Rasmussen.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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