WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) – Waterbury police say they have expanded their search for a man they call a “person of interest” in the stabbing death of an 85-year-old woman.

City detectives recently traveled more than 4,000 miles to Albania in search of Albanian immigrant Ervis Mecollari, a 21-year-old man they want to interview.

Mecollari was a downstairs neighbor of Laura Orso, an 80-pound widow who was stabbed 37 times in her Waterbury apartment on Dec. 20, 2008.

Police say Mecollari bought a bus ticket to Florida shortly after Orso was killed.

, but he got off in New York City and has not been seen since.

A $15,000 reward has been posted for information in the case.

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Information from: Republican-American, http://www.rep-am.com

AP-ES-02-08-09 1321EST