on 11-29-2008 03:43

By DONNA KENNY
KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET - In hopes of achieving some much-needed closure, the family of slain Pawtucket resident Carl M. Seebeck has announced the offer of a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for his murder.

The 63-year-old Seebeck, who lived on West Cole Street, was shot and killed on Aug. 29 while heading to the Roosevelt Avenue bus stop at around 4:25 a.m.
He had been on his way to work at a downtown Provi-dence parking garage when he was apparently the victim of an attempted  robbery or a random act of violence. He was transported to the Memorial Hospital, where he later died.
On Friday morning, three of Seebeck's brothers, Stuart, Ed and John, gathered outside 274 Broadway, where his body was discovered, to hold a press conference announcing the reward.
Stuart Seebeck, spokesman for the family, said the hope is that the money will encourage someone to come forward who has been silent until now.
Stuart Seebeck noted that at the time the shooting occurred - around 4:30 a.m. - there are not many people who are routinely out and about.
With that in mind, he is appealing to anyone who might have seen something, however small or unimportant it may seem, to contact the Pawtucket Police Department's detectives division.
Seebeck said that the $5,000 in reward money was donated by Gary Reis, a Pawtucket businessman who is president of the Med-Tech Ambulance Co. at 19 Mendon Ave.
He added that employees of Metropark, the company that owns the downtown Providence parking garage where Carl Seebeck worked, had also raised about $1,400 in donations, which will help pay for the printing of flyers announcing the reward.
Those flyers, which feature Carl Seebeck's photo, will be distributed and posted throughout the city.
Stuart Seebeck said it's been a "devastating time" for the large, close-knit family. "On Oct. 12, we lost our mom on my birthday," he said. "And to lose my older brother in a senseless act of robbery or some other type of senseless act ... We're hoping this reward will bring somebody forward."
Stuart noted that his brother, John, a detective captain and 34-year veteran with the Pawtucket Police Department, has found it too difficult to work since the murder of his brother.
Capt. John Seebeck declined to comment about the case, expect to stress that the police investigation is "ongoing." 
Until last month, the investigation had been led by Pawtucket Police Major John J. Whiting, who recently retired to take a job as police chief in North Providence. Stuart Seebeck noted that Whiting and the Pawtucket Police have spent "many, many man hours on the case," but no arrests have been made.
Pawtucket Detective Raymond Johnston, detective in charge on the Seebeck case, said earlier public appeals for information resulted in "hundreds of leads and numerous interviews."
However, he said, nothing has been solid enough to bring about an arrest. "We're hoping that this is what turns things around," Johnston said.
Anyone with any information on the Carl Seebeck case is asked to call the Pawtucket Police Department at 727-9100, ext. 769, for Detective Johnston, or ext. 723 for Detective Lt. Daniel Mullen.
Stuart Seebeck praised Gary Reis for his generosity in making the reward offer possible. He also noted that the owners of Metropark had provided financial donations to Seebeck's widow, Christine, to help with funeral expenses.
Reis decided to offer the reward because he has known Capt. John Seebeck for many years. "I was devastated when I heard about the crime, as were many others," Reis said. "I just wanted to do something to help."
Stuart Seebeck added that anyone else who wishes to donate to the "Carl Seebeck Reward Fund" can do so at any Sovereign Bank branch.