NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Sheree Simmons, 41, a mother of six, was murdered in the summer of 2013, with her body found inside her Norfolk apartment on Hayes Street, where she lived alone.

Investigators describe what happened as a vicious killing.

The 11-year-old cold case has been reopened under original investigator Sgt. David Benjamin and Det. Jonathan Smith of the Norfolk Police Department Court Case Homicide Unit.

Detectives said that on the evening of May 13, 2013, the victim’s cousin, who lived across the street, made a 911 call after noticing Simmons’ side door was slightly opened two days prior. She then attempted to contact Simmons, but received no answer.

Detectives also believe that, in between the two days, a delivery driver stopped by Simmons’ home. He, too, noticed the door was ajar with blood stains, but chose not to contact police.

Benjamin and Smith have noticed many abnormalities regarding this case, leading them to believe the person may have committed similar crimes before.

Information was submitted to the FBI’s VICAP online database, which notifies investigators across the country. It’s also part of the FBI’s Highway Serial Killings initiative, which helps connect unsolved cases and identify suspects.

“I don’t mean to imply that this particular case was committed by a serial killer, but that’s something that we always have to look at,” Benjamin said.

10 On Your Side also spoke exclusively with the victim’s mother, Almeta Harrington, who alleged she may know who could have murdered her daughter.

For more than a decade, Harrington has been left with a buildup of unanswered questions, beginning with how she learned of her daughter’s death. She claims the cousin who made the initial call to police never reached out to her when she reported the crime.

“That’s been so unsettling to me because I did not get the call that you would suggest, or knock on the door to tell me,” Harrington said. “I didn’t get a call from my relatives. I didn’t get a call until someone who wasn’t family called me.”

Harrington recalled that, after the incident, she had no conversations with the cousin and emphasized that the lack of communication from other relatives who lived nearby heightened her suspicions. She says she believes family was at Simmons’ apartment in the days leading up to her murder and doesn’t believe the story being told.

“I think it’s a lie,” she said. “I think it’s put together; I think it’s making an excuse. If you were there, this is my total thing as a member of this family, it’s usually known that someone knows something. If someone has information they’re making calls to that other family member.

According to detectives, this is a DNA-type case. At this time, Benjamin and Smith say they feel optimistic about the investigation and believe they’ll make headway in next few months to a year.

If you have any information that can help lead to an arrest, call the Crime Line or use the P3Tips app.