HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (KARK) — FBI investigators asked the public for help in gathering information related to a nearly 25-year cold case in Hot Springs. The father of the victim said the bureau’s work brought him hope for the first time in years.

Kristy Yates was 15 when her body was discovered April 26, 1997. She was brutally murdered and left on Sleepy Valley Road in Northern Garland Co.

“There was 20-something murders the year she was killed in Hot Springs and Garland County,” said Gordon Yates, Kristy Yates’ father. “I know they were busy.”

Gordon Yates said local law enforcement agencies indicated they would solve the case within a few weeks. When the FBI tweeted about his daughter Friday, it had been nearly 25 years since her murder.

“To be honest with you, it seems like an eternity,” Gordon Yates said. 

Gordon Yates described his daughter as, “a really good girl.”

“She enjoyed swimming, she enjoyed sports,” Gordon Yates said. “She had a lot of friends.”

The FBI said it would offer up to $25,000 in reward money to anyone who can supply information about Kristy Yates’ death. Gordon Yates said he would match that with $10,000.

Whoever killed Kristy Yates may live in Arkansas, according to an FBI flyer, and Gordon Yates said he also thinks that’s the case. Simply knowing the bureau is investigating gave the father hope for the first time in years.

“I got online and saw it, and I was like, ‘I’ll be darned,'” Gordon Yates said. “I’m really thrilled to see that. It just lifts your spirits hoping someone out there will see that.”

The FBI Little Rock office number is 501-221-9100.