MADISON, Wis. -- Madison police officials said on Thursday that they've invited Joel Marino's father to talk about the ongoing investigation into who killed his son last January.

Madison Police Chief Noble Wray and Assistant Chief Randy Gaber have offered to meet with Lou Marino next Tuesday. They said that they plan to discuss the case as well as the statements that the father has made in recent weeks concerning the case, according to a police news release.

Marino's family said on Thursday night that they're not making a statement about whether they'll accept the invitation.

The offer comes amid very public declarations from Lou Marino, his wife Debbie and Joel Marino's grandmother, Betty Parman, that they were upset with how the Police Department was handling the investigation into the 31-year-old's fatal stabbing outside his home on the city's south side.

Earlier this month, Lou and Debbie Marino requested state officials become involved in the investigation and later met with Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen. Lou Marino previously accused the police of being concerned with appearances and he was frustrated after hearing about the accusations that a 911 dispatcher mishandled a call from Brittany Zimmermann's cell phone on the day that she was found killed in early April.

In the news release, the police said that they're dedicated to continuing a "meaningful dialogue" with the Marino family. They said that they've had numerous contacts with the family and two detectives have been assigned to the family to continue to facilitate a dialogue, according to the news release.

Police said that they have contacted more than 800 individuals and more than 80 potential suspects, but all have been cleared. They said that officers also investigated several tips and possible leads suggested by Lou Marino, but haven't identified as a suspect in conjunction with those ideas.

Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage.

For More Info:

Read Madison Police News Release