Three years have passed, and Pleasantville Police Chief Erik Grutzner still hasn’t forgotten.
He hasn’t forgotten the fact that he won’t be able to see Linda Falkoff, 76, a former IBM employee. That’s because on Oct. 30, 2014, Falkoff was found stabbed to death in her Pleasantville home.
Grutzner, who at the time was a lieutenant in the Pleasantville Police Department, would have an easier time forgetting about Falkoff’s death if he knew who had killed her.
“This is a case that is still of major importance here in Pleasantville,” Grutzner said.
Falkoff was an active community member in Pleasantville, according to Grutzner.
“Anyone who lived here for any length of time knew who she was. She was very present in our community,” Grutzner said. “This case definitely did impact us a little extra, because she was so involved in our community.”
Grutzner also knew Falkoff well. In the past he made several visits to her house when she needed assistance from the police.
However, Grutzner isn’t handling this case. As a matter of fact, nobody in Pleasantville is. The case was turned over to the Westchester County Police Department. Grutzner said this is because the county police has more resources.
“We did not have the personnel available to handle this case. We only have about two detectives,” Grutzner said. “County has the expertise and the history. They have handled homicide cases in the past, and we wouldn’t be doing a service to the victim to not put that case in the hands of the people who are best served to solve it.”
But despite the county police having additional resources and more experience, there are still no leads in this murder case. Falkoff was a widow, and Grutzner said she did not have any additional family.
Grutzner still believes that an arrest can be made. He noted that advances in science make it possible for this case to still be solved.
“Cold cases get solved every day. Situations change where people come forward,” Grutzner said. “Sometimes new evidence comes to life, or a fresh face wants to look at evidence. So there has never been a time where we felt like we couldn’t solve a case.”
The New York State Crime Stoppers, a not-for-profit organization that gives money in exchange for information that can be useful in a unsolved case, has offered $5,000 for any relevant information in the Falkoff murder case.