A new report suggests fresh evidence has been uncovered in the unsolved murder of Rafael Jose Vergara.
Private investigator Marcos Rubio has connected the crime to a former drug kingpin, and is urging local police to re-open the case, according to the National Enquirer.
On the red carpet: Sofia Vergara attends the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, California on January 27, 2013
Marcus Rubio tells the tabloid he discovered rumours Rafael was having an affair with a woman who was dating crime boss Diego Leon Montoya Sanchez at the time.
'All his friends told him to break it off, but Rafael wouldn't listen. A lot of people believe that the mobster found out about Rafael and his girl and ordered the hit,' he said.
The investigator claims he has learned of three witnesses at the scene who were 'afraid to talk at the time, or may have been blackmailed'.
Out and about: Sofia ran errands in Beverly Hills, California on Tuesday
An Enquirer reporter accompanied the investigator as he presented his evidence to a high-ranking Barranquilla police official.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the publication: 'Times have changed and citizens are now less frightened about bringing criminals to justice. The killers of Sofia Vergara's brother are still at large. But with this new information, it’s possible his murder could be solved.'
Marcus Rubio is hopeful. He continued: 'Sofia has said that her family deserves justice in her brother's murder, and after all these years she should get the answers she's longed for.'
'It's time the police re-open this case so Sofia can finally get justice for her brother's brutal killing,' he said.
Co-stars: The actress plays the trophy wife of Ed O'Neill's character in ABC's Modern Family
The actress has been candid about the tragedy in interviews.
In a 2006 sit-down with Fredericksburg.com, she spoke of her understanding of how the events leading to Rafael's death unraveled.
'He was kidnapped two years before and he paid the ransom and they tried to kidnap him again two years later,' she said. 'By that time he was already carrying guns and had left his bodyguards in the house. They shot him when he went to reach for his gun.'
It's not the only family tragedy to have affected the Modern Family actress. Her younger brother Julio was reportedly deported from the U.S in May after being arrested over 30 times on drug related charges.
In 2010, he was arrested five times in Dade County, Florida, on various charges including possession of controlled substances, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession with intent to supply.
Family: Sofia, 40, is engaged to businessman Nick Loeb, pictured with the actress in New Orleans, Louisiana on February 1, 2013
He was deported back to Colombia in May of that year, according to RadarOnline.
Sofia, now 40, originally moved to Miami, Florida, from her native Colombia back in 1994 following the end of her marriage to her high school sweetheart.
Some of her family moved a short while later, including Julio, who took Rafael's death hard, she has said.
In 2011, she told Parade magazine: 'After Rafael died, Julio had a rough time. They were very close.'
Sofia has remained tight with her family despite her meteoric rise to fame (she was named the highest-earning woman in U.S. television by Forbes last year, with an estimated $19million in earnings for the previous 12 months).
The actress, who is engaged to businessman Nick Loeb and also has a 20-year-old son, Manolo, from her first marriage, has resolved to take care of her family and move past her personal tragedies.
'With so many bad things happening, it creates a tough skin. You just have to take a deep breath and keep on going - if not for yourself, then for everybody you love,' she said.
