$50K reward offered in Naperville murder, unsolved after 1 year

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (WLS) -- This weekend friends and family will come together to remember Matthew Lange, 37, who was shot and killed in Naperville one year ago.

His parents spoke with our news partner, The Daily Herald.

"It's unbelievably hard, the void left by Matt. You miss him every day. We got a lot of friends, they listen to us and talk, they are really good support. Unless you've been through it, you just don't know," said David Lange, his father.

Lange was an assistant psychology professor at Lewis University. On January 27, 2017 a gunman shot and killed him as he waited for his then-4-year-old son to get out of Polish classes at Scullen Middle School in Naperville.

Up to $50,000 in reward money offered for helpful information in the still-unsolved case. This weekend, friends and family will attend a memorial service.

"We're hoping the memorial service brings some attention and some possible tips from the public," said Commander Louis Cammiso, Naperville Police Department.

Police said they are still following up on different leads, but each passing day makes it difficult for Lange's parents. Even so, they still have hope.

"Well, hopes for the future is that the police finally find who did this," David said.

"It's hard to believe it's been a year already," said Sandy Lange, mother.

Lange's parents said that at the time of his murder, his life was improving. The divorced dad would call his parents three to four times a week, often sharing good news.

"He was working on his doctorate, PhD, and got his assistant professorship at Lewis University. That Friday he had put a down payment on a house. Things were really starting to go good," David said.

Now, though, it's a matter of finding Lange's killer.

"If somebody recalls some information that they might know of, that might have anything to do with this case, even though it's a year later, they call our police department and ask for the investigations division," Cammiso said.

The reward money has two parts. Naperville Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to any arrests. Additionally, someone who wishes to remain anonymous is offering $45,000 for information, bringing the total to $50,000.

Lange's son is now five years old, and is said to be doing well considering the circumstances.