Silence in the small city of Seligman, Mo., has kept a 14-year-old's murder unsolved for nearly a decade. On October 9, 1999, 14-year-old Justin Hocutt was killed. Investigators say Hocutt’s body was dumped before it was hit by a southbound train. Hocutt's family says it's time for people in the town to break the silence and put the killer or killers behind bars.

"I think Seligman is a scary place," says Hocutt’s Aunt Paula Roney.

"The body was thrown 231 feet," Barry County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Leonard Collins says. Collins says follow-up investigators realized the scene didn't add up to a train accident. "Normally when you are hit by a train or a car, there is a lot of blood spatter,” Collins says. “In this case, the blood spatter was minimal."

Witnesses told police Hocutt was assaulted the night of his death. "It was either a revenge- type deal or a fight that got out of control," Collins says. Hocutt was last seen at his girlfriend's home. Family members say all the 14-year-old ever did was like the girl next door.

Hocutt's family members say they know who killed him. The family says most of the town agrees with their conclusion. "People would come and tell us stories and we'd beg them to go to police," Hocutt's Aunt Patty Snoderly says. The family says everyone in Seligman is still too scared to talk, even nearly 10 years after the crime. "They are afraid if they do talk, they'd go after them too," Hocutt's Grandma Carolyn Chrisp says.

Chrisp says she didn't feel safe living in Seligman. She and other family members say the people they believe were the killers taunted them until they moved. "They would yell over the fence ‘Come over here, and we'll show you what we did to Justin.’" Snoderly says. "There were suspects, but we never had enough evidence for charges to be filed," Chief Deputy Collins says.

Hocutt's case file is thick but admittedly untouched because leads dried up. The family is desperate to see it closed. “A 14-year-old was killed,” Snoderly says. “I just don't understand that." Snoderly says the cold case has made her lose faith in the justice system.

Nearly a decade later, a reward sign still hangs in the local gas station. The sign offers a $20-thousand reward for justice for Justin. The family isn't sure that will ever happen if the city of Seligman remains silent. "If you know something, say something, tell somebody,” Roney says. “You can't live your whole life being scared. This was a 14-year-old-boy."

Anyone with any information can call the Barry County Sheriff's department or the Missouri State Highway Patrol at 866-362-6422.