The Federal Bureau of Investigation has upped the reward for information leading to an arrest and prosecution related to an unsolved Butte County homicide.
It was only through DNA evidence that authorities positively identified 25-year-old Marc Anthony Cyril Thompson. Thompson’s body was discovered in a burnt vehicle in a pullout along Oroville-Quincy Highway east of Berry Creek last Sept. 3. The car fire was declared arson. Authorities with the Butte County Sheriff’s Office declined to reveal if Thompson was already dead when the fire was set.
Authorities said that several people that could perhaps provide insight into Thompson’s life at the time have been reluctant to cooperate.
Although Thompson was a local man with family in Oroville, it is unclear exactly what sent him to the remote rural area.
Popular and well liked at Butte College and Chico State, Thompson was lauded as a social justice activist.
In addition to the $5,000 reward offered by the FBI, local authorities through a group called Secret Witness is offering $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of any suspects in the case. A GoFundMe site established a year ago by Thompson’s family has received pledges of nearly $11,000 for funeral expenses and to pursue leads in the case.
Tips can be submitted by calling Secret Witness at 532-6648, emailing infosheriff@buttecounty.net, completing an online form at ButteCrimeSolver.com or by calling sheriff’s detective Chris D’Amato at 538-7671.