FAYETTE &8212; Mayor Roger King upped the reward Thursday night to $4,000 for information leading to an arrest in the October murder of Alma Churchill in Fayette.

King was the only city or county official &8212; other than organizer Supervisor Isaac Tenner &8212; to attend a community meeting about the murder investigation.

Sheriff Peter Walker was invited, but told Tenner he could not attend because of another meeting.

Close to 20 family members and friends of Churchill attended.

The 81-year-old widow was found dead in the dining room of her home on Oct. 24. The cause of death was blunt trauma to the head. Walker has said robbery was a probable motive.

At a similar community meeting in November, Walker told the crowd that evidence was at the state crime lab, but lab results might take some time.

But it&8217;s taking too long, community members said Thursday night.

&8220;We have a murderer running around in this community,&8221; Tenner said. &8220;We don&8217;t know who will be next.&8221;

The group had already established a $2,000 reward from donations, a number King agreed to double. The money may come from the city budget if approved by the board of alderman, or it may be collected privately, he said.

&8220;We are committed to solving this case,&8221; King said. &8220;We are a small community with meager resources but we have big hearts. What it&8217;s going to take is unity.&8221;

King and Tenner reminded the group to report any information they hear, and to ask their neighbors to do the same.

&8220;Mrs. Alma Churchill is not forgotten,&8221; King said.

The city police will beef up patrols starting today, King said. The curfew will be enforced and all leads will be followed, until the murderer is found.

Churchill&8217;s niece Evelyn Reed said she&8217;s been unable to rest since the murder.

&8220;I would feel much better if they&8217;d tell me the arrest has been made,&8221; she said.

But King reminded the group that finding the right person, and having enough evidence for a conviction is the most important part. He also said some parts of the investigation had to remain confidential, but promised to contact the sheriff today for an update on the investigation.

The group will meet again on Feb. 9 at 6 p.m.