Cold Case
There are currently 250,000 unsolved murder cases in the United States. The Cold Case topic gives investigators and detectives news and information to stay current on the latest solved and unsolved cases, advancements in technology in police investigations and expert commentary on how police can close more cold cases. Learn how investigators are leveraging forensic genetic genealogy to solve cold cases, find out how the Vidocq Society helps agencies solve cold case homicides and discover how DNA on an ancestry site identified the Golden State Killer.
People fear what they don’t understand. Here’s a look at misconceptions and the facts
Samuel Little’s case demonstrates a commonly voiced complaint of veteran officers: A post-arrest criminal justice system that shows more compassion for criminals than victims
The suspect admitted he had stabbed his friend multiple times, claiming the killing was done in self-defense; an investigation proved otherwise
The true crime documentary tells the story of Sharon Marshall, who was kidnapped by Franklin Delano Floyd at age six
In 2021, the city saw 562 homicides – the highest number Philadelphia has ever seen, with more than half of its cases going unsolved
“There’s no telling what we’ll find in Lake Mead. It’s not a bad place to dump a body,” a former Las Vegas mayor said
Police said this victim was likely killed in the 70s or 80s, when the water levels were much higher
The new series aims to find answers and closure
Each playing card features information about the case and a tip line phone number
When Capt. Jeff Garner picked his shooter out of a line up last month, all the memories came flooding back
“We don’t have enough detectives,” Chief Rick Smith said, though he assured the public that all incoming leads would still be pursued
Detectives Andy Rathfon and Brendan Dougherty say they’ll continue tracking down lost artifacts, even after they retire
After a person of interest died last week, interest in history’s largest art heist has been renewed
$52,000 will be spent to pay retired homicide detectives to consult on cold cases
Detective Sgt. Jon Kadner said it’s the oldest case he could find nationwide that has been solved using forensic genealogy
“This horrific crime has haunted this family, this community and this department for 49 years,” said Naperville Police Chief Robert Marshall
Police can use consumer genealogy websites after exhausting other methods and under judge supervision
Detective Robert Anzilotti’s careful poking and prodding into the mind of the now 74-year-old serial killer resulted in a confession to the murder of two teen girls
The society, which was founded in 1990, is a members-only club in Philadelphia; the group focuses their efforts on solving cold case homicides
For more than 15 years, over countless interviews, a detective would chip away at the serial killer, working to get him to admit to the decades-old killings
A sheriff says the podcaster helped draw attention to the case, which rallied key witnesses and ultimately resulted in an arrest
The case is one of the oldest cold case murders in the county
The two women’s bodies were found in the Rocky Mountains months apart
The 1976 Chicago murder case should have been easy to solve — but instead it’s become a puzzle that baffled authorities for decades
The true crime case went viral when LAPD released bizarre security video of the woman in hopes of finding her killer
The killer’s cipher was cracked in December after 51 years, sparking a wave of renewed interest
Trooper Thomas Carpenter, 31, was shot on Dec. 27, 1973, after he apparently was kidnapped by two men who’d been with a stopped car
Michaela Joy Garecht’s body has never been found. She would have been 42 next month
Investigators used covert searches of private DNA-tracing companies to track down relatives of the killer
A St. Paul man was interviewed three times in the last 30 years, admitting to the killing in 2018
After years with no leads, the suspected killer turned himself in
A man imprisoned for killing a former girlfriend a decade ago pleaded guilty Monday to slaying his estranged wife
Officials said a recent forensics “breakthrough” led police to the suspect, 44 years later