10 Years Later, Water Facility Cold Case May Be Reopened

A decade-old tragedy at a water facility may get a second look this year.

At a facility run by a New Jersey water supplier, Geetha Angara, a scientist, mother, and wife, was found dead 10 years ago. Though ruled a murder, at least one investigator believes it was a tragic accident.

Angara was a chemist who monitored the drinking water quality in the facility's tanks. "Angara, 43, was last seen working in the laboratory, where her duties included calibrating water clarity sensors," the Associated Press reported 10 years ago.

Something was amiss at the plant the night she was found, but it took authorities a while to figure out what.

"A heavy metal grate covering a million-gallon water tank was slightly askew; screws that had secured it were either gone or broken. It was only after searches with helicopters, cadaver-sniffing dogs and scuba divers that authorities confirmed what they had started to fear hours earlier: Angara was dead at the bottom of one of the tanks," the report continued.

Here's how authorities explained it at the time: "Someone — probably a male co-worker — had wrapped his hands around the chemist's throat in a dank hallway above and squeezed until she passed out, then forced her through the hatch into the murk....In 36-degree water, she drowned," NJ.com reported.

Detectives have never managed to solve the case, which made headlines across the country at the time. The tragedy raised big questions about security at water facilities.

"Just four years removed from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the incident raised broader concerns among residents and lawmakers about lax security in treatment plants and the safety of the nation's water supply," the report said.

Now, there's a chance the case may be reopened.

"With the 10th anniversary at hand, the Holmdel woman's family members have called for the case to be re-examined, and they have found an ally in state Sen. Joe Kyrillos, who told NJ Advance Media he will ask the state Attorney General's Office to take a fresh look at evidence, witnesses and suspects," the report said.

Kyrillos has pushed authorities to reexamine the case in the past. "It was a horrible, horrible case," he said, per the report.

"A decade has now gone by since the murder, and I'm happy to help put a spotlight on this," he said, per the report. "So I'll be asking acting Attorney General John Hoffman to review this case, to find a way for his office to re-engage."

The former lead investigator on the case has said he believes the deceased was not murdered.

"There's absolutely no question in my mind," said retired Lt. James Wood, per the Star-Ledger. "This is a horrible accident, but that's all it is -- a tragic accident."