New surveillance images released in unsolved 2016 killing of Tulane graduate

Homicide detectives have released new surveillance images in connection with the unsolved 2016 killing of a Tulane graduate on Amelia Street near South Claiborne Avenue, and hoping that the public can help identify the men as they continue to pursue the investigation, New Orleans police said.

Thomas Rolfes, 25, had returned to New Orleans to scout wedding locations with his fiancee, Elizabeth Fried, but the couple took separate flights and on the evening of May 7, 2016, Rolfes became separated from his friends at popular Magazine Street bar Ms. Mae’s, police said at the time. Surveillance video from the Delta Fuel Station at South Claiborne and Louisiana avenues showed him buying two bottles of water around 3:30 a.m. — about an hour before his body was discovered on nearby Amelia Street with a fatal gunshot wound to the chest, police say.

On Wednesday, homicide detectives released images of two men — one in a still image, and the other in a short video — both seen in the area around the time of the shooting, according to a NOPD news release.

“Detectives are seeking to learn their identities and locate them for questioning to further the investigation,” the release states. “These individuals are not suspects.”

Anyone with information is urged to call the NOPD Homicide Division at 658-5300 to speak to a detective, or CrimeStoppers at 822-1111 to leave an anonymous tip that could be eligible for a cash reward.